Starmer getting tearful in his speech. Very touching

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I liked him.

How has he cut NHS wait times?

I'm just a lay person but under his party haven't they just this April introduced the procedure within the NHS that GPs can no longer just refer to specialists, instead GPs send off for a specialist referral and get sent back guidance, and you only get referred if you go to the GP 3 times with the same issue, with no GP appointments available?

Obviously the figures are going to show wait times are lower because nobody is getting on the bloody waiting lists.

I've got hypermobility, I've dislocated my shoulder and it hasn't healed properly. I've got reduced mobility in my arm. I wake up every night in pain. I've been to physio 5 times about the same issue, and they've tried referring me, my GP has tried referring me, and at long last I've finally got an appointment. Not an in person appointment. An appointment first thing in the morning some random Friday in August where I have to call THEM to see if they would be willing to offer me an appointment.

So if I'm on a wait list now, it's until August. Yay, that sounds shorter. But it isn't an appointment where I will actually have any meaningful assessment or treatment plan.

Then I suspect I'll be back of the queue again for another waiting list.

So instead of it being one long wait, now it's multiple short waits. Yay for cutting waiting lists down, Sir Kier. Fantastic.

Most MPs get all sorts of freebies. They need to be declared so we can find out who's influencing them. Starmer did this (in the end). https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdd4z9vzdnno

By contrast, Farage has fought tooth and nail not to declare a gift of £5m from a cryptocurrency investor who lives in Thailand. Was that a morally repugnant act from a man completely lacking in any integrity? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8jv8xl17l8o

This. I am no fan of Starmer but I hate this culture of bullying and scapegoating.

I don’t think a new leader will make a blind bit of difference due to the inept back benchers and then always kicking off.

The fact is we need to dramatically decrease spending which will make for very difficult times. Whatever the colour rosette, no one wants to do this as it will lead to uncomfortable conversations around welfare, immigration, foreign aid, NHS funding structure etc.

But I will be glad to see him go. It may just be optics but he’s a deeply unlikeable man who comes across devoid of emotion. His voice has a grating quality that I’d be glad to see the back of. Because I think all of them are the same, I doubt the grander plan they have will change in any way, just the voice delivering it.

Starmer did to others, exactly that. Not a blink on how it would feel for them.

He wasn't 'hounded out of his job'. He resigned after it became clear he'd lost the confidence of his party. He lost the confidence and support of the country weeks ago but was too stubborn and conceited to admit it. His hand was forced after Burnham's Makerfield win.

Yes I watched him and heard him choke up. I thought that bit was sincere, heartfelt and I felt for the human being, BUT, for the person (of whatever sex) who is talking in a professional capacity with the title of 'top job' running the country ... I want my leader to show strength and courage (at least in public), and not to be a wuss by crying 'cos they are resigning.

He was good at the international stuff actually - and it was an essential part of his job.
His own MPs screwed him over by refusing to accept any cuts to welfare - and the media did their best to destroy him from day one.
He made mistakes (primarily that terrible first budget and the Mandelson debacle) but I wish that Labour had not stuck the knife in him so fast.
Burnham can’t sort things out any better than Starmer could. Our country appears to be in freefall.

So let's focus on Starmer - a man who tried - unsuccessfully - to position himself as a 'man of integrity' while simultaneously feathering his own nest with whatever he could take and trying to hide it. Absolutely disgusting.

Talking of freebies Angela Rayner needs looking into she was a single mum on benefits now she has several homes and is worth millions!

Why have 4 children if you can’t afford them then complain that you can hardly afford a takeaway? Unbelievable.

I'm not a Reform supporter so yes, the same is true of Nigel Farage. However, he is not the Prime Minister.

His previous job as leader of the Labour Party, and before that he was an MP and before that DPP. Good jobs but he isn’t wealthy like so many of the previous PMs.

A huge mistake to accept the gifts, but he repaid the money https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn7yeydd42jo and it’s not uncommon for much wealthier people in his position to accept much more.

Remember the Bamfords paying for the food at Boris Johnson’s wedding? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-62833837 and their lockdown luxuries https://www.tatler.com/article/boris-johnson-carrie-symonds-daylesford-hamper-luxury-food-deliveries-downing-street

She will no doubt be under renewed scrutiny should she attempt any kind of return from the wilderness.

Starmer only agreed to pay the money back after being found out - once the whole psychodrama had dragged on for days, distracting him from running the country.

That’s your take and you’re entitled to it. I see it that a large group of MPs who had clearly failed to persuade their constituents of their value, hence the awful local results, got scared. Instead of looking at themselves and why their communities were lacking in confidence, they turned on the leader. Starmer is a poor communicator, but he’s not the member whose job it is to communicate with the country.

I thought he was the best in a long time. Seems like a decent person.

And did Johnson repay any of the money he received?

Presumably when that poster and her ex-partner had their four children they were in a relationship and felt financially stable enough to have that number of children. Then something went wrong. That can happen to anybody. Odd that you focus on that and not her perfectly valid point, which is that far too many fathers do everything they can not to support their children. I don't know how that can be resolved, but it would be good if somebody treated it as a priority. It would help with both child poverty and the benefits bill.

Wes introduced the payment for 'validation exercises' that are removing people. He hasn't done much else to improve waiting times. Unfortunately the 50% job cuts he introduced will have a significant impact on the NHS for years to come. I work in the NHS and it's an absolute shambles at the moment and is only going to get worse.

Of course it’s his job, communicate with the electorate.

No idea. I don't recall Johnson ever trying to peddle a carefully crafted persona based on being a 'decent' man or 'man of integrity' though. Starmer most certainly did and it became clear very early on exactly what kind of a man he is.

On exactly what basis do you deem him a crappy person

Totally agree with this.

Public office means working towards improving the lives of the people, not winning a popularity contest.

The idea that Johnson, Trump, Farage et al really feel any connection with ordinary people is laughable. That people feel it towards them is concerning.

The local election results were a direct message to Starmer from the electorate to resign. I was out campaigning ahead of those elections and the message on doorsteps was very clear and consistent.