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.

Yes that’s a big downside. I also have a feeling Labour are going to attempt to make the GE about rejoining the EU in some way (party before country), they will of course be voted out which will send the wrong signal and make future close alignment less likely.

Unfortunately it is in most people's political nature to want things without thinking through the consequences.

For example I want more money on the NHS - but wait why have my taxes gone up!

Or let's get rid of Starmer - oh who's going to replace him, oh the new person is worse than Starmer etc etc

I think if we dump this one then I think we need to spend some time alone, working on ourselves. We can't keep flitting from PM to PM thinking "this time it'll be different" and we'll finally settle down.

I agree with everyone who says Starmer should stay:

For stability,
and
Because there is no one better.

Absolutely.
Also about 6 months ago the press/greens/tories were all saying KS was up Trumps arse because he picked up some papers Trump had dropped out of politeness. Then, when the time came and it really mattered, he stood up to Trump. And thanks to that, we aren't in a war we could have been in had we had a different Prime Minister.

I think just let him get on with it and the country can judge him at the end of his term

Trump has said he wants Starmer to stay

😁

Weird facts:-

My son is 12 and has had 6 prime ministers in his life.
Daughter has just turned 16 and has had 7.
I am 46 and have had 10. Just 10.

Starmer isn't the best but he's probably better than many of the alternatives. I can't help but feel the press and other just want to stir things up more than most people actually care about to generate news for the 24 hours news cycle. I do think we just need some stability for now.

Yes I kind of agree. Public fatigue with the revolving door of PMs might be what saves him

This is the fault of social media and the extra scrutiny that comes with it. I very much doubt neither Blair, Thatcher, Wilson or Churchill would have been PM for as long in similar circumstances.

I agree with this. Unless Labour can find someone more popular with the public ,(possible 😄) and who the press won't want to attack every lifelong day (unlikely) then stick with him.

The Tories did really badly in the local elections in 2022. Johnson stood down a few months later. Then we had Truss and then Sunak. None of that did us any good, nor did it help the Tory party. So what's the point of going down that road again?

I think he will probably go though.

When I was my DDs age the country had had just two PMs - the third didn't come along until I was 19 and I was 30 by the time the fourth was elected. DD is 12 and could see her seventh this year.

I agree it's social media and 24 hour news plus MPs, especially female ones but probably all, receive death threats and face risks on a daily basis. I can't stand Starmer but imagine the week he has had and the scrutiny he has been under - grim. There are some good MPs of all parties, I used to work in the House of Commons so I have some experience. But who would do the job? Not me. I think a lot of people would run a mile from politics. I am really really pissed off with this government, they have only done harm as far as I am concerned, but like Brexit I have to suck it up because that is democracy. And the alternative is far worse. I think Starmer should stay, I don't think what he has done justifies him being ousted but I think he will go sooner or later because he is deeply disliked. Looks increasingly like a one term government.

Like many others, I don’t support everything the government have introduced, but I think I’d still rather have them than any of the others. The press are doing their very best to undermine the government and Starmer, and absolutely amplify negatives whilst ignoring much of the positive stuff.

the thought of reform being elected into local councils fills me with dread, but my only hope is that if they do get elected next month, by the time the GE comes round people will have seen them for what they are.

When you say, many, many of them from low or middle income families you almost make it sound like the worse off families pay fees for private education, the better off ones opt.for non fee paying schools. Private school fees have absolutely rocketed simve the 1980s. Fees at a typical London day school are ca. £25k per year. A family sending 2 children to this kind of school would pay £350k of net income.
How many of the people who can choose to spend this kind of money do you think are low or middle income? 90!% of median full time salaries in the UK are less than £72,150 a year.

I totally agree with you OP. What we need is stability and the right wing media should stop sniffing around for ways to bring every Labour Cabinet member down. Starmer clearly has his faults but this is the most grown up government we've had since Brexit.

I always think that being a Labour politician is like being a woman in business, you have to be 100 times better than the Tories/men to be the same!

Is that £25k including the education tax?
Selective examples there. People save up, have burseries and scholarships, dip in and out of independent education and there a lots of schools that aren’t in London.
I really don’t get the obsession with limiting children’s education options simply because it wasn’t for you. It’s just odd.

I was looking at the predicted losses - politically it must be impossible for him to stay if those come about.

It's way beyond regular midterm losses - it's parliamentary wipe out territory.

Major and Brown had much lower losses before they lost the next general elections. Blair never had anything like it.

It’s the party in general though, their underlying ideology and contempt for tax payers, working families and aspiration, not Starmer himself. No matter who they put in charge, without a massive change in direction they are going to be completely wiped out. I’d argue he is one of the more sensible members of the front bench.

Pat McFadden, Yvette Cooper and Ed Miliband have all gone cold on him this week. Apparently, Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood are not impressed. So he's likely lost the Cabinet.

Things are going to get worse for him next week because Philip Barton, the Permanent Secretary who preceded Olly Robbins and left his post early, during the time Mandelson was being appointed, is giving evidence to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on Tuesday. Then Ian Collard, head of security at the Foreign Office. Then Morgan McSweeney. Barton has nothing to lose, just like Robbins. All of this will reinforce Starmer's poor judgement and a shambolic, macho number 10.

Then there's the three Ukrainian rent boy arson trial starting, which inflaming some of the wilder ideas flying about on Starmer's 'extra curricular' activities.

Also brewing is more dirt on Richard Hermer, making money out of creating a case against British military in Iraq. Another Starmer appointment, showved into the Lords so he could be appointed Attorney General.

If Labour acts sensibly, a change doesn't have to be chaotic or swift. They could agree he stays until the party conference, find a seat for Andy Burnham, and conduct the campaign over the Summer.

The policies that have been the most detrimental, that I know the impact from, all came from Cameron's coalition with Clegg. Those things were then solidified by subsequent Tory governments. Useless for tax payers, families and as for aspiration ... fine if your an old Etonian.

I’m 72 and have had 18. Our grandson is seven and has had five. Incredible, isn’t it?

Presumably in October 2022 your grandson was 4 and had had 4 prime ministers!

There would also then be 2 month old babies who had lived under Johnson, Truss and Sunak!

You’re right. The two month baby bit is scary!