I agree with this and @Luingcow‘s description.
I deeply dislike the underhand way that Burnham and his allies undermined Starmer. Getting an MP to step down and triggering a by-election was an irresponsible step, creating unnecessary expense and disruption for the constituents in the area.
I find it incredibly distasteful that Burnham is now calling for unity and calling out in-fighting. It’s rank hypocrisy. (Pic attached)
I think a legal coup is the best way to describe what’s happened. Burnham is young enough to have time on his side and he should have waited.
Nevertheless, I am staunchly a Labour voter with firmly left-leaning politics.
For that reason I hope that he succeeds because we really do need him to. God save us all if Reform get in - although thankfully that’s looking increasingly unlikely as Farage’s corruption becomes more widely spoken about. The Tories got us into this mess so they need to be kept out of government too.
I think Burnham has been naive in promising to eradicate rough sleeping. He didn’t manage to have any effect on rough sleeping/homelessness in Manchester so I doubt he’ll be any more successful nationwide. I think it’s a noble, worthwhile goal and something that we absolutely should aim for. But essentially promising to make it a thing of the past just leaves the media with a stick to beat him with when it inevitably fails.
I worked in a homeless shelter for many years and as a PP mentioned, it’s a complex area that isn’t just about there not being sufficient places. Mental health and addiction are major factors, and to address rough sleeping/homelessness you also have to solve these problems. It’s a huge task.
Given how Burnham has behaved in grabbing power, I don’t really trust him right now. He seems to have a chip on his shoulder about London/the southeast (I don’t live there so I’m not defending my own interests). But I hope he proves to be a decent PM - and upholds Labour values - because he’s in power now and the alternatives are just dire.