How stupid are Labour MPs?!

[JoyousOpalLemur]

One after the other on the BBC this morning, all but one patting themselves on the back and almost dancing for how clever they are that they're forcing Starmer to resign so that Burnham will be coronated the new PM.

They all think they've got the new Boris.

Maybe he is, but it didn't work out very well for him - or for us - did it?

Starmer stood for leader once, won by a landslide, and then won a landslide general election. Burnham has stood for leader twice before, and got trounced both times. Winning a mayoral election in a Labour heartland is hardly a remarkable achievement.

They all seem to think Burnham will unite the left, but he hasn't given one policy idea that will appeal to left wing voters.

Starmer is a decent man. I don't regret voting for him. Burnham is an actor who says anything that he thinks will make him popular. I know who I'd rather have.

I sympathise with Keir. I voted for this government & wanted it to succeed. He did his best in what has become an impossible job.

Yes, he should have been much bolder in using his massive majority to force through change. Yes, he has made mistakes, but many of them have been blown completely out of proportion by a hysterical media which is addicted to constant chaos. He deserves better than being kicked out by panicking MPs who owe their jobs to him. I wish him well.

Yes I agree. I don’t want another PM not voted for by the people. I personally think this will make people vote reform in the next election unless the next PM pulls some sort of miracle

I don't think there's one political issue that Burnham hasn't had at least two very different opinions on in the last 20 years

Oh fuck. I’m gutted. And scared. This is just going to be political chaos and then more economic chaos. Farage, Trump, Putin must all be absolutely delighted.
We wait 14 years for a Labour government and then this happens.

It also looks absolutely farcical that Labour had more than 400 MPs but had to parachute someone else into a constituency to become PM as none of those MPs are competent enough to do the job

Fucksake I’m in tears here and I didn’t vote for him. I despair for this country. Sick of it all now.

Well put @SpottyAlpaca
I wonder what the right wing media has up their sleeve to hammer Burnham with. It’ll be same old in no time.

It was those new MPs that really got to me. Maybe I’m old fashioned but there’s a lot to say for respecting your leader, at least publicly. Like in most workplaces. Especially if you’ve elected the leader in the first place.

Totally agree. Those MPs will rue the day I think. They will have to fall into line now otherwise they will look even more idiotic than they already do. Morons. The press are doing what they always do. Which is their job, like it or not. The Labour backbenchers don't even know what their job is.

The backbenchers job is to represent their constituents. And I expect if their constituents were saying they did not want Starmer, then it is their job to listen and deliver if possible.

I think it's a good system.

I feel that it is often the silent majority that you have to convince - which is what Starmer did in the GE.

I was really hoping Keir would turn round, stick his middle finger in the air and say "fuck the lot of you, I'm off. You'll get the country you deserve now".

The silent majority are the folk that voted for their MPs surely ?

Seems a sound system to me. The MPs answer to their electorate, the PM answers to the MPs.

Gutted by his resignation. He should have given the Labour members chance to vote.

Yes. So the most recent indication of that was the local elections - and, as we know, that is what they are responding to. What I am thinking is that those elections were limited and low in turnout (I am fully aware that the Makerfield by election was very different).

So how would Burnham fare in the south?

I have no idea how Burnham would fare in the South. He has a seat. Why does he need to get a seat in the South?

Why should they get a say in who is PM? They are not elected representatives of the electorate. Anyone can be a party member.

Burnham has confirmed he will run for leader, and it may be uncontested.

This is 100% an imposition.

I hope the same Labour MPs force HIM out in two year's time.

This entire manipulation is revolting. I hope there is GE soon, way before 2029

what if constituents are actually saying that they don't want these MPs? remember Labour's majority is not linked to vote share.
Maybe if they supported own policies and didn't force U-turns we'd have a different story? no, it's always easier to blame someone else, first Tory, then own PM, than looking in the mirror

You mean the voters of Makerfield imposed Burnham on the nation?

It will be uncontested now. Streeting has said he won't run and he sees a place for himself in a Burnham government 🙄

If the thought of Burnham becoming PM would drive people to Reform, he wouldn't have won the Makerfield by-election.

this corrupted net zero nutter is likely to become our next Chanellor.

Remember that Dale Vince, Ecotricity owner, was one of the largest Labour donors, to the tune of several millions, in the run up to 2024. He is the biggest winner of net zero policies. I have no idea why journos are silent about it

I think a few on the left think Burnham will unite the left but that ship has sailed for now and Polanski has many of there votes, and quite honestly can keep them

the rest know he will stay close to the centre as this is where the voters are or return to and this is what will win elections and his ambition is to be PM not to make Labour a left wing party

Oh come on, over the past 20 years Burnham has held every opinion on every subject, the determinant is always what the audience and opportunism want to hear.

Its only two years since Burnham’s pitch in the Mayoral election was “I only luvs Mancs, I’m a true Northern boy, I’m not interested in Westminster”.

Starmer is poor at leadership and has completely lacked the ability to lead troops but I’ve never seen much from Burnham apart from the charisma. That worked really well with Johnson. There should be at least some form of leadership election where he lays out his policies for leading the rest of this Parliament. Being crowned did Gordon Brown no favours at all.