Burnham has been blocked!

[Ohcrap082024]

Just being reported on BBC news now. The NEC has met and refused to allow Andy Burnham to stand in the by-election. This is looking very bad for Starmer.

Starmer was definitely in a no win position. But by blocking the person who would have been the strongest candidate to win the by-election, has Starmer left himself open to attacks that he has put his own interests above those of the party?

I suspect Starmer won’t last much past the May local elections.

No surprise but I think it’s the beginning of the end for Starmer. It will mobilise those who want rid of him. Burnham has a lot of weight behind him. He’s not stupid. He’s hugely popular in GM and wouldn’t give that up if he didn’t think he had a very good chance of taking the top job.

I’m not a Labour voter, but I’d like to give AndyB a chance and see what he’s about. I remember him in lockdown and was impressed with how he stood up for his people.

The trouble is labour as a whole have destroyed themselves. People are sick of them already. Not just Starmer. Trying to put Rayner in as his ‘running mate’ after her whole stamp duty drama. They seem to relish that people are idiots.

Labour is just as bad as the rest of them. They say 1 thing and do another.

Speaking as a mancunian, good.

I think starmer is doing his best with a shitty hand. I think Burnham is much needed to finish what he started as mayor for GM. I can't see how he could do a better job as PM than Starmer.

Plus I really don't want reform to gain any ground in GM. I can't see a labour candidate being that popular right now or as able to do the mayor job as Andy can.

Lots of things would have to line up 1) AB would have to win Gorton 2) he'd have to mount a successful leadership challenge 3) his leadership would have to make a difference. Note that 3) is dependent on stagnating UK economy, complete lack of funds for public services stretched beyond breaking point by the Tories and a fractured geopolitical environment in which the last lot completely buggered our international standing with Brexit. I don't think Andy can save the situation.

May as well bring back David Milliband and have him mount a challenge. At least that doesn't cause problems in the already struggling North.

Starmer is a coward. Delaying local elections a d blocking a very worthy candidate because he's scared of his political stature.

Labour definitely now in a slow motion car crash, how have they managed to get things so wrong. Having no principles and changing tack when facing the slightest obstacle.

Yep it's only going to feed the narrative this an authoritarian government in the wake of delaying some of the local elections.

Starmer is toast now. This makes him look extremely weak.

I like Burnham a lot, so Im not coming into this unbiassed, but Starmer needs to understand that he is losing support and that is the way leaderships go - theres never a good time. Don't hang on by a thread the post isnt about you - its about the UK.

What May local elections? They are cancelled in our area.

There are Senedd elections in May in Wales and Welsh Labour, in power for over 25 years, are predicted to lose spectacularly.

Of course Starmer was in a tricky position. But he’s so shit at politics. Gwynne has been negotiating to stand down for weeks. If Starmer wanted to block Burnham, the NEC should have worked with the CLP to have a strong alternative candidate not just in mind but being given a public profile. They would then have been able make a best for Manchester - effective successful Mayor, great popular candidate that can beat Reform in the by-election, more joined up thinking at national and local level etc etc - and best for the party - no splits here, guv - case for this decision.

Instead we get this rock and a hard place situation, with Starmer pretty much damned either way, and the party riven by more in-fighting just when things have started (too slowly and too little, I agree) to improve.

I think Burnham made the wrong choice in putting himself forward. For all Starmer's faults - and he has many - the Labour Party needs to stay united and focus on governing the country right now.

Unfortunately, I think the NEC has also probably made the wrong decision in not letting Burnham stand. It will just create more division and infighting, when they should be working together to address the major challenges that we face as a country.

I actually wish that we had a rule in place that said that parties can't change their leaders mid term without calling a general election. Once elected, they should stop squabbling amongst themselves and focus on the job that they were elected to do.

I think Labour must be regretting the day the Unions put their backing behind Ed Miliband over David for the Labour leadership. It's been a slow motion car crash with the PLP making one poor decision after another ever since.

Not at all surprised.

Classic Labour behaviour

Doesn't Burnham come with Raynor as deputy though. God help us!

I like Burnham a lot. And in many ways he’s much more likely to be able to mount a challenge at GE, to the populist right than Starmer.

But he’s played his hand too soon.

Sensible voters KNOW that labour received a shitty hand from the Tories after the last election, and that it would take time to turn things around. They’ve had next to no time, and I think if No 10 could hold their nerve, and the Labour Party could maintain discipline, then actually in 12-18 months things would look very different in terms of opinion polls.

All Burnham has done is undermine Starmer, to no good purpose, and far too soon. He must have known he’d be blocked. All it’s done for me personally is put me off Burnham a bit, and made me feel like he’s out for himself more than I hoped he would be.

End of democracy

I agree, and I think it reflects the fact that Burnham's political judgement might not be quite as good as he thinks it is.

I think Starmer will need to be replaced as leader prior to the next general election, but now isn't the right time.

Exactly this about his political judgement. He's very very good at sensing the public mood. Less good at the party political mood- and he’s going to need both if he ever makes it to number 10.

I’d love to know who’s advising him. He needs a good strategist if he’s serious about re entering parliamentary politics, and the top job.

That had already happened with May elections being cancelled

Never here Keir and that awful Rachel Thieves - the one who seems to have no compunction about lying about everything.

They need to be gone.

Completely agree with you on this issue. No matter what party is in power my heart sinks when it gets to the infighting/leadership challenge stage because it tends to become all consuming at the expense of the good of the country.

Labour has had 18 months to run the country into the ground - they've managed that spectacularly well under Starmer's weak spineless leadership. The public would happily get rid of them tomorrow if there was a GE.

He’s blocked him because he knows he’d win. What a wet lettuce.