Burnham unopposed & likely to be PM by mid July

[Twiglets1]

Wes Streeting confirms on social media that he won’t stand as a candidate for the Labour leadership. He says that a contest where candidates spent the summer “exaggerating small differences” would not be good for the party or the country, and having spoken to Burnham, he is confident that that there is “a place” for the policies he has been advocating under a Burnham premiership.

The Guardian say this means it is now very, very likely that Burnham will be PM be mid July. It is conceivable that another candidate may come forward. But, apart from Streeting, no one else has publicly signalled an intention to stand, and with Burnham now a shoo-in, it is hard to imagine any other MP getting the support they would need to be a candidate.

heguardian.com/politics/live/2026/jun/22/keir-starmer-resignation-timeable-andy-burnham-labour-leadership-prime-minister-latest-news-updates?page=with%3Ablock-6a390a538f08adffab1e97fd#block-6a390a538f08adffab1e97fd

I think there is some rumour going around of an AB emergency budget. If that is true, and she is warning him, it may be well intentioned and she does not want him to crash and burn faster than the lettuce did.

I think he just needs to get in now - all this speculation is completely tedious and all these people trying to influence their ideologies from afar.

Overlap with what?

Overlap migrants and asylum seekers. Number of migrants then claiming asylum if their visa is not extended is up 16%. Those are Government statistics.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-march-2026/how-many-people-claim-asylum-in-the-uk

Look at the figures for Pakistan.

Ok, I see what you mean with overlap.

And yes, I know they are gov statistics

A few more details on those numbers.

Work Visas: 38% (13,994 people)
Study Visas: 30% (10,835 people)
Visitor Visas (including ETAs): 19% (7,048 people)
Other Forms of Leave: 13% (4,834 people) 1]

Incl graph showing that asylum claim numbers are coming down.

I hope this is not becoming another anti asylum seekers thread.

It's difficult to disagree with her advice of be clear and have a worked through plan.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwykdvgv4d4o

No @hedgeknight - I think plenty of people want reasonable asylum figures which looking back 20 years would be 50000-60000. I would much rather we had a reliable processing system from abroad giving asylum to children and women from eg Gaza than men from Pakistan trying to convert their lapsed work visas into asylum claims and clogging up the system. I completely understand on a human level why they would want to stay given large communities here, but I do not think that is what the asylum system is meant for. Same with study visas - unless their country is suddenly a war zone it should be an automatic no.
Also if you look at the asylum figures for Germany and France - if eg they have a huge percentage of Afghanistan last year but are now working with the Afghani “government” on returns, but we are not, it is pretty clear that we are going to end up with a lot of Afghani men.

Good @Araminta1003 , we agree

Also I only brought up immigration because the British electorate seem to care about cost of living, economy and immigration most, followed by NHS and then infrastructure.
So Andy Burnham will have to deal with immigration as well as cost of living.

It wasn't you who brought it up.

And yes it is something Burnham will have to address

A mega-dinghy carrying 128 migrants has crossed the Channel, setting a new record for the number of arrivals on a single small boat.

Including 97 on two other dinghies, a total of 225 migrants made the journey on Friday.

Which news source are you using? I ask only because, having searched high and low, nothing is appearing.

Pleased to hear no one died during the hazardous crossing.

Why on earth would a husband or father risk their loved ones in such a way?

Irresponsible doesn’t begin to describe such actions.

I am sure you could come up with many reasons if you put some thought into it.

https://inews.co.uk/news/putin-inflaming-immigration-tensions-spark-disorder-britain-4636899?utm_campaign=PNIyzzYsAruhv3z&ito=gifted_article&data-target=gifted_article&utm_source=XJPLeh5koSHChZEU

I think she is going for the " Most Ironic Advice of the Year Award".

What an incredible woman.

Elica Le Bon is a British-Iranian who has become one of the most outspoken voices against the regime in Tehran. She conducts her social media campaign from California, where she moved from London nine years ago, and over the past four years she has become an “influencer activist”, speaking out not just against the Islamic Republic but its proxies such as Hamas and the Western Leftists who support them.

I identify as a Centrist. I condemn both Hamas as a terror organisation and the genocide happening. Also do not like the Afghani regime nor the Iranian one. Nor the slaughter of innocent children in Gaza. I mean perfectly natural position for a Western woman to take.

Also, on immigration. The fact that the vast majority of the public in Britain whether born or not are net takers of the system financially speaking over their life time is an underlying systemic issue. It is not sustainable long term and the reason we need immigration is found right there.
It really leaves young people who are likely net contributors in a moral dilemma. As my kids are in this category most likely it is something we discuss as they have other nationalities too now.

This net recipient/contributor argument is simplistic bollocks. It depends almost entirely on life stage. Young and healthy without children - you’re almost certainly a contributor. A couple of kids in school and it reverses. No dependents and in good health in middle age, contributor again. Then anyone who claims their state pension becomes a recipient although they may have been a contributor for decades.

The best advice you can give young people, is to leave the UK, and explore opportunities elsewhere.

@blossomtoes - I meant over their entire lifetime and likelihood of that. If you had a good education, are very healthy and sporty, have a good work ethic and a lucrative graduate job it is far more likely. DS1 and DD1 and their friends talk about it all the time. It is the Henrys considering it. They won’t have tons of family wealth towards deposits etc, they just have their talent and future work. Also, because they are Londoners a lot of their friends are international anyway and doing it too. It may well be different in other parts of the country. Amongst their demographic though, it is a trend. None of their friends are NEETs, not a whiff in sight. Most straight into graduate jobs.

On another note, good to see that Olly Robbins is trying to sue for unfair dismissal. Good for him! I hope he is successful.

Same.