Starmer - should he stay or should he go? What difference would it make either way?

[IwantToRetire]

Four ministers resign over Starmer leadership as Lammy says no-one has support to stand against PM
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c1e2n923v1lt

More than 100 Labour MPs have signed a statement urging Sir Keir Starmer not to stand down
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/starmer-resign-cabinet-live-updates-b2974932.html

More than 100 Labour MPs sign statement against Starmer leadership challenge
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/12/labour-mps-sign-statement-against-starmer-leadership-challenge

That is some resignation letter 👏👊

You led our party to a victory few thought possible in 2024

A donkey could have lead Labour to victory in that particular election. After 15 years of disastrous Tory shenanigans there was a huge appetite for change.

(And no, being anti Starmer doesn't mean I'm remotely pro Reform)

I have a little, niggling worry about the puberty blocker situation, now that Streeting has gone. Who will be shuffled in to replace him?

Maybe this conversion therapy Bill stands more chance now with Streeting gone?

It is getting more tiresome by the day. This meme sums up largely how I feel about the whole car crash.

It is pointless Wes Streeting making a bid for the leadership of the Party at this time. He needs to defeat "the best possible field of candidates" and is waiting for Andy Burnham to be in a position to stand for the leadership of the party, knowing that Burnham will be damaged goods if, having returned as an MP in a safe seat, another party swoops in and takes the Mayorship of Greater Manchester off Labour.

In the meantime, and in the best traditions of MN, Streeting is getting his ducks in a row.

What a waste of time and resources forcing a by-election. Not for the good of the people of Manchester or the country but as a self serving exercise for the Labour party. They must be very confident he'll be elected but stranger things have happened... Also as pp says not good if the change in mayor leaves Labour out.

Makerfield MP Josh Simons stands down so Andy Burnham 'can fight to re-enter Parliament'
https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2026-05-14/mp-stands-down-so-andy-burnham-can-fight-to-re-enter-parliament

What will they do if Reform wins the seat!

And if Reform win mayoral election. Easiest Campaign in the world is “Andy Burnham representing you the constituents or his own personal ambition.”

Burnham has changed his allegiances within the party with the political winds. He’s all things to all men and he didn’t particularly impress me as being more than charming when he was in the previous Labour govt.

I’m disgusted that Labour MPs are trying to engineer Burnham’s run at the leadership by causing a by-election. It’s cynical and speaks more to their focus being on themselves and not on the state of the country.

Makerfield 2024 GE results:

https://members.parliament.uk/constituency/4165/election/422

Reform in second place only 2 years ago 🤔

I’m starting to agree with Karl Turner that there’s no such thing as a safe Labour seat in the North of England.

I think it is worth remember that many people both in and outside of the Labour Party think the Starmer support group are to blame for stopping him standing to begin with.

This has been one of the many bad decisions by Starmer that meant nearly everyone of the many factions within Labour dont just dislike him but think his decisions are just bad.

I thought it was a big mistake to block Burnham in Gorton and Denton. But that by-election was called for genuine reasons. I think it's outrageous to create one unnecessarily, treating Makerfield like their own personal fiefdom. And I say that as someone who voted Labour last week, (albeit through gritted teeth).

Apart from the Reform danger, pundits online are also suggesting that Greens will put their all into the seat, possibly splitting the Labour vote.

I can see what you are saying, but as someone who has never been part of the Labour Party, but know many who have been, I am only too aware that Labour Party members hold grudges for ever.

In public they might be all smiles and we are all on the same side, but once out of the public eye they conspire and manipulate to pay back those who they feel betrayed them.

And of course its not me saying this, but there are many newspaper articles, books etc., writing them up!

Yeah it's a proper nest of vipers! But it's creating an unnecessary by-election to smooth the way for Burnham that really enrages me. It may be within the rules but it's such entitled behaviour.

Editing to add, it's not how they're treating each other that I'm mad about. It's the way they're treating Makerfield and their constituents.

How many by-elections will they be prepared to hold if AB doesn’t win the Makerfield seat?

I think the problem is that saying what is happening now is entitled again excuses they people who began this. If entitled abusing the system to stop him in the first place.

And whilst I agree the local electorate can be angry (and get revenge) to let the first group of wrong doers off the hook because it makes a problem now, is the reason so many people who start something wrong never get their come uppance because there is always the excuse well of course it was wrong but it would be too expensive, too disruptive, too whatever to try and put right.

So the people who had the wrong done to them in the first place and then expected to not only accept it but made too feel they are the culprits because putting it right is too difficult or whatever.

I really have that.

People getting punished twice and those who did wrong let off the hook twice.

Well if he doesn't surely that suggests the public there don't want him to be PM, so they should probably heed that! Though I suspect they wouldn't.

Oh God. Thanks for a nightmare vision of the future. Eternal by-elections😱

It is.

It's rather presumptuous that the voters there will not be pissed off that

the guy they voted in is walking away because his own reasons
a man with no links to their area and no understanding of local needs is being dumped in as his replacement candidate
that he has no interest in their area or them, merely in using them for his leadership bid
Labour and all the candidates involved aren't talking to or listening to the electorate, and the voters' message last week is pretty much going totally ignored
and he'd like them to vote as he wants them to please, which in his mind saves Labour's bacon but is going to thoroughly annoy any Labour committed voter who sees another better candidate or doesn't want Starmer deposed.

They might play nice for him. They might not. Labour might lose that seat altogether.

Who wants their MP to be PM anyway? It's hard enough to get the attention of your run-of-the-mill constituency MP, let alone one who has much better things to do with his time than listen to your petty local concerns.

I'm not a labour supporter, but I think he should stay. Memories are short and I think people forget he probably got voted in because he was 'safe' and boring, which was a welcome relief after the shambolic Tory merry-go-round. And yet her are Labour doing exactly the same thing!
I new leader will mean a new cabinet and then everything gets put on hold again for six months while people learn how to do their jobs.

It's the unions and the left of the party causing trouble, as usual.

Wes Streeting can piss off. Thought this was funny from Dr Rant
www.facebook.com/share/p/1B6XypWSJb/