AIBU to feel like Andy Burnham is an impostor?

[NotABeliever]

Whenever I see him on TV, my first reaction is a jolt of disbelief — as if Andy Burnham has somehow staged a stunt and pushed out the person who actually earned the right to be in Number 10 but somehow everyone is ok with this. It feels like a con, like he’s occupying a role that isn’t his.

What’s strange is that I don’t dislike Andy Burnham, and I’m hardly a devoted Starmer supporter. Yet something about the way Starmer was removed and replaced so abruptly feels fundamentally wrong and unserious . I keep thinking: Starmer is the one who won the election, not Burnham — so how is Burnham now the Prime Minister? It feels like a huge injustice.

I understand that in the UK we elect a party, not a president, and that whoever leads the party becomes PM. But even within that system, it’s hard to accept that a sitting Prime Minister can be shown the door simply for not being popular enough. With three years until the next general election, how can anyone confidently claim Starmer would have lost? Polls swing constantly.

It just feels like a moment of madness — a sudden upheaval that’s left us starting from scratch with a new cabinet and a new agenda, right when the previous team was in the middle of governing and getting on with the job. I can’t shake the sense that something about this isn’t right, and I’m struggling to make peace with it.

How embarrassing for you.

I also think he has integrity so was also inclined to believe him.plus the decision was so roundly based on Trump being such an egotistical oddbod & hard to deal with.

But I am biased and I admit it. I genuinely think Starmer was a good guy who given time would have been a really great PM.

We will never know now & as a lifelong Labour supporter I just hope Burnham delivers, I really, really want to be wrong about him.

I hope Keir reads this in the pub, nice for him.

At least he looks happy now he's out of it all - I actually think he enjoyed that no one contested Burnham which a) means his usurper's holiday is stuffed, and b) he's going to be hung by all these uncosted vibe policies he's been forced to spaff out

Yeah, I hope he's relieved and not angry or bitter at what happened.

He may well have the last laugh anyway and be vindicated if Burnham's "new' approach crashes & burns.

His wife and kids will be proud of him. An uninterrupted family holiday then back home to think about his next career move. I wish him well.

It definitely was very quick and I didn't expect it, but if it gets an extra term stopping reform getting in then that is good.

Let's hope that happens and not the opposite.
At the moment I am suspicious and uneasy about the Daily Mail's seeming support for Burnham...
What are they up to?

There has been some good anyalsis in the papers in the past few days

Basically a nice guy ,earnest and genuine but lacking grown up practicaliies.

He talks about things as if he is the first person they have occured to !
He has now got people's hopes up over the threshold freeze he said it was the no 1 issue (??) and he wants to change it. But it can't be done.
He wants to end homelessness ,very noble but what root causes will be tackle ? The mental health service ? Rehabs ? So called children's homes ?
No he wants to house them over night ?

All I'm hoping for now is that they get the bloody north sea going I have no hope or faith in any of it
At the very least give us back a small bit of our own energy secuirty !

I would imagine it's honeymoon period. Also they aren't overly happy with farudge right now I believe.

I even saw tice saying let Thames water go under and nationalise, the bloody commie. Something I scarily agree with.

this

As i recall, part of the vetting process is to advise on whether and how "issues" can be managed and whether the value of the vettee is such that the risk is worth taking. I think that was Olly Robbins argument, or part of it....that he did what he was employed to do.

I feel like that especially when he fills the cabinet with pals and Starmer traitors not people who would be good at the job. Streeting defence! Give us a break!

I can only imagine the reaction from military chiefs when they heard Streeting had got defence.

It seems to me that Starmer was the nemesis of the populist politician. The anti-populist par excellence.

I have a feeling Burnham is going to go the opposite way- see suspension of the early release scheme and £2 bus fares. Not what the country needs at all IMHO

I don’t have an issue with him not having won a general election - he’s not the first and won’t be the last PM in that situation - but there’s something about it, that I can’t put my finger on, that is just a bit off. Like an episode of Dr Who and some charismatic character had used his evil genius to take over the country. All the MPs (many who wanted Starmer out but definitely were not Team Burnham) suddenly fawning over him like he’s the Messiah. I genuinely want him to do well, recover Labour’s fortunes and halt the march of Reform, but I am reserving judgement for a little while longer.

I agree with you OP. It’s a loop hole failure in our political system which keeps allowing this to happen. MPs can suddenly decide they no longer want the sitting PM and have the joint power to kick him or her out and potentially replace them with someone with very different views.

I don’t dislike Burnham but I agree that it’s crazy that in a democracy, a MP can resign a ‘safe seat’ and a new person can effectively walk into Downing Street. The system should be changed - if MPs want their leader out, it should trigger a general election. They’d be less inclined to do that especially when it could mean their own jobs are up for grabs.

I think he's setting expectations way too high, not the best idea.

I mean, I voted for Burnham in the last two mayoral elections, but not Labour in the one he just caused - he better hope the electorate aren't as petty and vengeful as me (they're not) or they have a short memory (they do)

Do we envy him though? Imagine the pressure he's heaped on himself.

Even Emily Maitlis was saying this on the News Agents - that when he announced on Downing St that he'd been to see the king, it just felt...weird. Like, who are you? Where have you come from?

OP and others are not unreasonable to liken him to an imposter. We all know it's allowed within the confines of our parliamentary system but it doesn't feel democratic.

And it doesn't feel as if he has chosen the best people for the job - just those who were working to secure Burnham's position as PM. If you were loyal to the former PM you didn't get a ministerial position, simple as that ... unless maybe a few of the ones that have long term experience like Yvette Cooper.

Burnham just strikes me as a bully. He just bullied poor old Starmer out of the way.

All clique mentality.

Common sense, surely? As PM, you want to reward those who supported your campaign, choose people you can get along and collaborate with, and avoid giving power to those who might plot against you with a view to taking your job. In other words, a pragmatic mentality.

I was prepared to give Burnham a chance, he seemed quite likeable.

However this 'Number 10 in the North' plan is appalling - Parliament is in London. If you don't want to work there, stay as Mayor of Manchester!

The country has plenty of problems, don't invent a new one. His attitude is also very alienating to the south. Some of his comments will likely ensure he loses the next General Election. He's forgotten to bother appealing to the country, not just Manchester.