PM Andy Burham: what next for women's (and children's) rights?

[BridgetYourFortyDaysAreUp]

There didn't seem to be an appropriate existing thread, so -
Given that none of us voted for Andy (I know, I know, Labour won the last election, vote for party, he is new leader...blah blah) -

Any predictions for how bad it could get (puberty blocker trial, Conversion Bill, etc.)? Anything positive to look forward to?

New backing from MPs mathematically guarantees Burnham's coronation

27 more Labour MPs have nominated Andy Burnham to be leader of the Labour Party - making it mathematically impossible for any other leadership contender to challenge him.
^^
349 Labour MPs have now nominated Burnham, up from 322 on Thursday.
A candidate needs 81 nominations to stand - so there now aren't enough Labour MPs left to nominate anyone else.
^^
Burnham will still need the backing of three affiliated organisations and trade unions.

https://news.sky.com/story/politics-latest-burnham-starmer-labour-tories-badenoch-farage-12593360#12052134

Yes, have been trying to keep an eye on the news. Louise Haigh is also a crook, but then they're all crooks! Maybe she's a crook who understands that men will never be women?

Thanks for the Labour List article, I'll take a look.

ps. meant to say I think it's good news about Mahmood. I think.

Have to say, glad to see the back of David Lammy!

Haigh repeated the whole issues on both sides line in that article, but there definitely signs she may be fairly sane.

Likewise with Healey.

In other news David Lammy has gone extinct and lost his job. Maybe dinosaurs and women are real.

I'm a Shabana fan. She's one of the few ministers in this government who's proven effective at getting things done. (Ed Miliband and, in her previous life as transport sec, Lou Haigh got similar reviews)

Today is kind of a day when Burnham still gets to play on easy mode. Good speech, positive vibes - that plays to his strengths. Purging the cabinet of people like Steve Reed or Darren Jones and replacing them with MPs who are actually popular in the PLP - also low hanging fruit.

Same for that dinosaur line.

I think the Laminator has delighted us long enough

I like Shabana too - glad she kept her job!

I'm sure not many people compare them, but she reminds me a bit of Ann Widdecombe - one of those diminutive fierce women who tell you exactly what they think.

Also, she says "fuck" more than Glinner.

Another significant development.

Former Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has been reappointed to cabinet as the new health secretary.

Cooper is not an ardent TA for sure and in recent years has said pro reality stuff after trying to duck the question earlier.

The big question is will she be brave enough to stop the puberty blocker trial.

It's starting to look like a cabinet dominated by northern and Midlands MPs with Reform facing constituencies. Which creates a whole different set of incentives from a cabinet dominated by London MPs with Green facing constituencies.

Any links on Cooper's position? I had thought she would be compromised because Ed Balls her husband certainly seems to be - I had assumed driven by the wish to be supportive to a transitioned person in their family or immediate circle.

I found this... https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/nadhim-zahawi-protest-warwick-tories-DWzF8d_2/

Also this:

Doesn't she have a trans activist son? And didn't she once refuse to answer the question, what is a woman with "I don't want to go down that rabbit hole"? I get the feeling that she will go with whatever the prevailing view is that's to her advantage tbh. I hope I'm wrong.

Ahhh beaten to it by OhBuggerandArse (excellent name btw 🙂)

Lucy Powell for Education is not good news at all. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/09/30/trans-rules-wrong-labour-deputy-contender/

Bridget Philipson keeps Minister for Women and Equalities.
It's depressing.

What? You'd think even out of pique she would have told him to stick that.

The one I'm concerned about is Lord Chancellor. I know the LC doesn't strictly have to be a lawyer, but it very much helps, and I'm trying to think of parliamentary lawyers who aren't Starmer cronies, and I keep coming back to Thornberry.

Because the Left has always had a problem with women, and no Labpur government has ever tried to sort it out.

But KCSIE is out now so she has limited room on that front. I would hope given AB’s focus on education and NEETs that she’ll be directed on that front?

Burnham has made the W&E brief a full cabinet position so she retains the salary and a seat in the cabinet. She wouldn’t turn that down.

I think Burnham is likely to steer clear of all things trans as much as he can. I expect he’ll direct his cabinet to do the same. He wants to get traction on matters that will result in winning back the traditional labour voter who isn’t interested in gender or women’s rights……or anything unrelated to their day to day quality of life.

I don't think he'll have the stomach for the fight that would come from stopping the puberty blockers trial or the conversion therapy ban though. He'll just try and hide and hope it all goes away, which means he won't be on top of the whackamole that is trying to stop made gender ideology from popping up in different bits of legislation and policy.

On a similar note (being too scared to address contentious issues head on) what do people think he might do about the Assisted Dying Bill? Enthusiastic enabler or grudging hands-off 'let the chips fall where they may'?

Starmer was the main driving force behind the Assisted Dying Bill, and I suspect Burnham would be happy if it quietly went away.

Nandy stays at DCMS. This is actually a test for Burnham - will Nandy row back from some of the crackpot authoritarianism she's been floating?

I don't think women need Burnham to "steer clear of all things trans." We need a clear directive from Government that they expect everyone to obey the law. I, for one, don't want another bloody fence-sitter. If Burnham thinks that if he simply keeps his head down, it will all go away, then he obviously knows nothing about the issues or what women have had to put up with for more than 10 years.