To be sick to death of Andy Burnham already

[Viviennemary]

I'm sick to death already of seeing Andy Burnham and hearing his voice. And he isnt even PM yet. Come back Keir Starmer. All is forgiven. I dont know how I'm going to suffer 3 or four more years of him in charge. Playing the part of the working class hero who is going to save the country. Give me strength.

IKR?

I recall she sought to blame it on the ‘street language’ from where she grew up, or similar…

I am bored of hearing the north south divide and distribution of wealth and now we need to move things up north. Why are governments still sowing division. A true leader would bring everyone together, addressing the issues without pitting half the country against the other.

AB is trying to secure his voter base.

That’s all there is to it, really.

That's because Labour aren't interested in Britain as a nation. It's a class war for the party first and foremost.

His voter base is as much in London as the north. Anyone who listened to his speech on Friday would be aware he’s trying to do the exact opposite of sowing division.

Apart from putting up taxes, nothing is going to improve for working people.
They will be gone in 3 years.

It’s almost as if you think if you repeat it enough times it will be true.

It will take less than 3 years.

Why don't you write to the Guardian in protest against their language. Are you going to boycott the publication as you seem so hellbent on being right.

He will get a small bounce in the polls now - that’s SOP.

My hope is that he rolls the dice on an early GE in an attempt to secure a mandate. I can’t see his MP’s going for it, though - they are clinging on to their salaries for dear life.

Guardian, FT, Bloomberg, Times.

Et al….

I very much doubt it. What do you think is going to happen to make it less than three years?

Oh yeah, PP is going to be very busy.

Burnham won a bi election with a resounding majority.

Once he was an MP, he stood for leadership and no one has stood against him.

One of the worst things the Tories did was string out a campaigning almost presidential style leadership election in the summer of 2022. This was a time when the world economy was accelerating post covid and we should have taken advantage. Instead Tories had a protracted leadership election period, where no one was in charge and Government was in purdah for months. Such a waste of a period of growth, when only 420,000 odd Tory party members could eventually vote and the manifesto had already been voted for in 2019 when Boris won a majority. The new leader should have been continuing carrying out the manifesto. instead we got Truss....

I appreciate it feels fast but we vote for a party, there's already a manifesto which Burnham has said he will continue to deliver (as he should). We do not need to fanny around for months.

I hope he delivers and continues to crush corrupt Reform.

... while corrupt Rayner will take over as Health Secretary.

Will she? When was that announced?

I love some of the Labour ‘Mystic Megs’.

None of whom predicted Starmer’s demise, or Rayner’s resignation, or Reeve’s “I will be chancellor for this entire parliament” hiccup.

Forgive me if I don’t listen to a word they say with respect to Burnham.

The mystic Megs all appear to be on your side. That’s where predictions of the government’s not serving its full term or the identity of the future health secretary have come from in the last five minutes.

True. The same posters who were adamant Starmer would stay.

Rayner will do okay. Her behind the scenes helping in the coup against Starmer will see her find a nice juicy cabinet position.

I think he'll track to the center to be electable (cutting back net zero, appointing Mahmood over Miliband as chancellor, tightening immigration). The left wing will implode. I think in 12 months we will see Ed Miliband launching a campaign to replace him.

If she didn't have a decent role lined up she would have run for Leadership. LBC are saying she is going to be Health Secretary.

If he has any sense, Mahmood will remain as Home Secretary. She's one of the only Cabinet who has got some balls. She put Diane Abbott in her place on the Immigration issue. Anybody who hasn't seen that little exchange should watch it. She's very good.

Burnham’s disinterring of the ‘70s rather alarms me. That was not a time of togetherness or progress.

Still, I can’t believe he actually wants ‘70s trade union strife and a bankrupted country. I suspect it’s just posturing for the left of Labour.

Burnham’s problem will be the discipline imposed by the markets and the fragility of growth after Reeves. He has very little room for manoeuvre. Gimmickry and Tony Benn cosplay will be the name of game, IMO.

No, they didn't say none of the 400 sitting MPs were up to the job. They decided that a Labour politician who wasnt at that time a sitting MP was the best choice.
Which is an entirely different thing.
Have you never worked anywhere where an external candidate is chosen for a job that could have been competently done by an internal candidate, but the external one brings qualities that make them the best fit?
Burnham's experience outside Westminster and the reputation and popularity he gained in the process are seen as assets the Labour Party need at this time.
And if he proves unsuitable then the electorate will try to replace him at the next GE.
(Which if this happens in the near future would result in a hung parliament with a Reform majority. Burnham would form a coalition easily enough given the strength of will from all shades to keep Reform out, and would continue to lead the country. Which is why kemi isnt calling for a GE, and why 'suck it up' is exactly what you need to do I'm afraid.)