To not want yet another new Prime Minister right now.

[paddleboardingmum]

I'm not a massive Starmer fan, but at least he's doing okay on the international stuff. What with the war, Trump and everything I feel like we just need some stability and the thought of a whole leadership contest and yet another change of PM just seems like too much. Fed up with the constant drama of the news.

The government has some hugely damaging policies and ideas, especially where the economy and the doomed social engineering is concerned so ideally I’d like to see a GE to get rid of the lot, but I realise that won’t happen. As we’re stuck with them for now, I think he’s the best out of truely weird bunch of clueless misfits and hope he stays.

I can’t see what impact some local elections will have on KS leaving or staying. I think he’ll be around for a few more years yet.

Part of me thinks it will hardly make any difference. In 38 months the British electorate, whom nobody ever seems to criticise for electing these dreadful people, will, on current polling, hand power to Nigel Farage in a far right coalition with the Tories and possibly DUP. At that point the country will really start to suffer. Is it even worth trying to bring in Lammy, who was a disaster over Gaza, not that many people seem to care about that, Rayner, who the misogynist press (also read as the Bible by more people than youd like to think) would do everything to stymie, or the oily unpleasant Streeting.
Many British people so hate the idea of anything progressive that the only way anyone not Tory or Reform can get to power is to ape their policies and talk bull shit about immigration. A shitshow

I would rather he stay. It makes me sick to think what could have happened with Iran if we had a different pm. Straight after Trump started the war you had the likes of Tony Blair saying we should back him!? I don’t mind Kier, overall he is a bit meh but he has had some impressive moments. He also has the advantage of coming after some of the worst PMs in living memory (notably BJ and especially Truss).

I dislike Labour intensely however I dont want a new PM either mainly as the options being put forward are far worse IMO

i do agree with Starmer standing up to the bully boy across the pond and not joining in his war

It depends on your definition of progressive, if it’s identity politics and taxing the life out of anything that moves or doesn’t move (including children’s education ffs!??) whilst smirking then you’re right that many British people hate it. Labour had their chance and they’ve broken the social contract, it’s over for them. Yes Reform will be the next government, will the country suffer more than it is now? We’ll see.

It’s worse than that - this time 3.5 years ago Johnson had just been replaced with Truss, and we’ve had Sunak and Starmer since then. A new one would would mean 5 prime ministers in under 4 years😮

Is there a reason why Rachel Reeves and Yvette Cooper haven't been mentioned much as candidates for PM? Seems odd given they're Labour's most senior female ministers. They do seem hellbent on veering to the hard Left which I think is suicidal at the moment.

Not just local elections on May 7th. The Welsh and Scottish Parliament elections are also being held. Labour is predicted to be out on its proverbial arse in Wales after being in government there since the first Assembly elections in 1999.
Don’t forget that during the 14 years Labour was in Opposition in Westminster, it was still in government in Wales.

Things weren’t looking great for them in Wales prior to the 2024 general election with that business over the corrupt and short-lived First Minister Vaughan Gething but it’s declined further since. The latest voting intention opinion poll from ITV Wales put Labour at 13% - 3rd place, just 3 points above the Greens. They’ve changed to a PR system for these elections too.

If by taxing children's education you mean removing the VAT exemption on the exclusive organisations who charge to educate around 4% (mostly among rhe wealthier sections of the population) then yes I agree with raising money this way to go into a pot, from which the education provided to be available to 100% of children's is paid.
It is not identity politics to want billionaires and corporations to pay their way, to have half decent public services and some kind of social safety net. But yes, I agree there probably will be a Reform led government. Mass deportations, making legal migration almost impossible, slashing taxes, selling off the remainder of the NHS, cutting off amy chance of closer ties with Europe, possible abortion bans, cosying up to the latest catastrophic US President and their boss in Moscow. Trashing all climate agreements, worsening housing crisis, tanking economy. Brilliant.

Reform might bring us a taste of some of the dreadful things we've seen play out in the US so could be considerably worse.

Rachel Reeves for PM? must be a joke. I can't imagine a more unpopular choice. Yvette Cooper would probably be fine, but again what's the point in changing. Starmer seems to be respected in Europe and we need that.

Really don't want to veer off course but just to correct you - independent schools have always paid vat, the education tax is on the parents (and therefore the children) who pay the fees many many of them from low or middle income families and many with SEND.

You assume someone else wouldn't be equally respected in Europe - why assume that? They don't respect him personally, it's just they can work with his political positions on the EU issue.

Sometimes it is necessary to change PM because once all respect internally has gone, nothing gets done.

No one wants instability, but that's where we are now, the current stasis is not really sustainable or helpful.

He’ll be gone after the elections, best case predictions are that they will lose 1,900 seats according to the guardian.

He also hasn’t dealt with the Iran crisis well, he flip flopped with defences for Cyprus leaving Greece, France and Spain to defend British bases and families in Cyprus from attacks.

I want to ask again though, has any PM ever gone after disastrous council election results? I'm not saying that it's never happened, just that I can't remember it.

I meant the tax on education and vocational training for people aged 5-18, otherwise known as children. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/vat-on-education-and-vocational-training-notice-70130

’Pay their way’ Care to put some actual numbers to that? It generally means ‘anyone who earns more than me’. I’ll never get why some people virtual signal volunteering others to pay massive taxes, if anything it’s just selfish,

Well we’ll see with Reform, their tax changes they’ve floated seem entirely sensible and much fairer than envy taxes. Labour have had their chance and they went after children, business owners, farmers and net tax payers in some non sensical ideological driven fit of spite. There will be zero sympathy for me for the groups who’ve pushed this agenda, zero. I do not want my taxes funding people who support taxing children’s education or taxing farmers to suicide. I’ll vote appropriately.

Not that I can think of, but has a party suffered disastrous council election results on this scale before?

Yes, the Conservatives lost nearly half their seats when under Sunak. About 500 seats.

That’s not on the same scale, Labour are forecast to lose 1900.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2026/apr/23/mapped-local-elections-labour-may-unprecedented-losses

They truely are loathed .

I'm a fan, and I don't want him to go.

It's all just a bloody smokescreen.

I'm terrified of Reform.

Mandelson was a creep.

You're right that is huge. Reform would be the most divisive that I can think of in this country.

It wouldn’t make sense strategically to get rid of him now, it makes much more sense to wait - blame him for the catastrophic loses and then start afresh with a new leader distancing themselves from the current unsuccessful and deeply unpopular administration.

I understand 3 of your comments. Not sure about the smokescreen.

No KS shouldn't go. Today, the Cabinet Secretary confirmed everything he said in the HoC - he has not lied, the opposition parties did not understand the vetting procedure.

I think they’re the necessary rebalance to harmful and truely disgusting identity politics and economic policies.

I can't help thinking of some problems. Farage would have no respect in Europe and we would have to throw ourselves in with the US. I am seriously glad that Starmer stood up to that.