What are the chances he still gets blocked by Starmer / the NEC. A lot of MPs (including some high profile ones) have come out and said he should be allowed to stand if the local members select him.
Blocking him now would be quite a toxic move, which would be made even worse if the selected Labour candidate then goes on to lose.
Mr_XcX on
I’ve not voted Labour since 2015. However, I think it makes sense for Andy being only one who can take over. Leaving Starmer in till locals just going to hurt candidates. He has to go soon.
NotoriousP_U_G on
I think Labour and Burnham are over estimating his popularity. He could become leader on the ‘not Starmer’ vote, but, I don’t think he will be any more popular than Starmer with the general public
bduk92 on
Blocking him is a bad move by the party.
Letting him run and undermine the government is a bad move by the party.
As always, the center left always find a way to set up a circular firing squad.
BojosMojo on
Genuinely, why is he applying to contest the By-election such big news on the beeb at the moment? I feel quite out of the loop on this.
SP1570 on
The smart move would be to allow him back into Westminster and immediately appoint him as Deputy PM.
urbanspaceman85 on
An utterly idiotic move that undermines the work he’s been doing in Manchester AND risks undermining and undoing the good work Labour have been doing in government.
NathanDavie on
He has to beat the NEC, (Who’ll probably cave this time because there’ll be national attention on them) then he has to beat Reform (the biggest barrier in my mind, but helped by Farage continuing to suck Trump dick and the fact that everyone knows Burnham is looking to lead) and then he has to beat Starmer which is funnily enough the easiest thing for him to do.
Politics is hopefully going to be a little less depressing in this country over the next year.
james-royle on
The media will not be able to throw the ‘North London Liberal Elite’ accusation at him. He is popular in the North West. I think that he will be a good PM.
Questionable_choi1ce on
Andy Burnham only really seems like a potential Labour leader because the press have built him into one. There are plenty of Labour politicians who have similar or bigger public profiles which aren’t largely based on the press saying they’re a potential party leader.
Lupercus on
What kind of person looks at what is going on in the world at the moment and thinks…”yeah I want to deal with Trump, the Ukraine war and the rise of fascism again. I’m good enough.”
How cocky do you have to be? I wouldn’t want to be Starmer for all of the money in the world.
Beautiful_Bad333 on
This is in my opinion Labours last and only chance to get ahead of Reform, save the country from becoming the 52nd state of America by Farage and turn the party around to what it should stand for. What Andy Burnham has done for greater Manchester is probably the biggest success story of any City in Europe. It would likely finally push economic policy more towards the North of England. If he can replicate even 50% of the housing/building performance of Manchester in the rest of the country, it would solve the UK’s housing crisis and generate huge economic input from private investment inside and outside the UK.
He just needs Kier Starmer to accept it and think of “Country first, Party second”.
Hell if he gets in as an MP and becomes leader of Labour I’d even vote for them – that’s something I never thought I’d say.
soundman32 on
Low stakes conspiracy: Labour are doing this to make Reform spend so much money campaigning here, in the hope that Burnham loses both this seat and the Manchester mayoral elections, that they have run out of money and will shut up and cry all the way back to Claptout.
baguetteonmars on
This is looking SO ugly and I really lost a lot of respect for Burnham. Who does he think he is? Saviour complex or something. Starmer is stabilising and clawing back popularity. And who cares about popularity anyway, we need a stable gov until the next election. I really cannot stand the backbenchers and frothing (uninformed, loud mouthed, illogical) lefties who are the main ones undermining the first social democratic and progressive government of my lifetime. Really cannot stand them any more, and I used to agree so much with them.
External-Piccolo-626 on
It would be hilarious if he didn’t even get elected
StreamWave190 on
I like how Will Lloyd at the New Statesman put it:
>There’s a fascinating contrast between Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham if you read these two in-depth New Statesman profiles.
>Starmer: Britain isn’t broken
>Burnham: Britain needs an entirely new political economy
I don’t know much about how Burnham would want to rebuilt a new political economy for Britain, or whether he’s remotely capable of doing so.
But he’s at least starting from the right position, whereas Starmer will always govern badly because he doesn’t recognise the whole thing’s broken.
Rude_Sheepherder_714 on
In his letter to the NEC, Burnham insisted he would be in Parliament “to support the work of the government, not undermine it”.
Starting out with such a brazen and obvious lie isn’t a great look tbh.
asfish123 on
Clearly, there are moves against Starmer, the MP who stood down, was caught out acting like an arsehole, and now is playing the sick card. No doubt he has been paid off very nicely by tax fiddler Angel, who wants her pound of flesh even though she screwed herself.
More left-wing stupidity and taxes are not what Labour needs to do next
Ill_Refrigerator_593 on
Starmer is getting on a bit at 63, especially if he was to be PM after the next election.
Having some potential replacements in the wings isn’t a bad thing.
Lt_Col_RayButts on
Bad move this, Starmer is not perfect but he runs the international side. This move just makes Labour look like the Torys.
painteroftheword on
So he just wants to make matters even worse for Labour.
Solidus27 on
Perhaps the least genuine person in the whole of British politics
Vast_Description_201 on
Fuck off Burnham nobody wants a leadership challenge.
ok_alsodot11 on
Think this is super shortsighted in so many ways. I doubt Labour will get my vote next time.
ywhine on
There’s been clues (at least in the GMCA circles) that this has been coming for months, if not longer. Relaxation of concessionary bus travel and other things seems like his final ‘gift’ as Mayor before eyeing up a return to Westminister.
myfirstreddit8u519 on
Isn’t this the guy who keeps lying to that little girl from tiktok on the radio
26 Comments
What are the chances he still gets blocked by Starmer / the NEC. A lot of MPs (including some high profile ones) have come out and said he should be allowed to stand if the local members select him.
Blocking him now would be quite a toxic move, which would be made even worse if the selected Labour candidate then goes on to lose.
I’ve not voted Labour since 2015. However, I think it makes sense for Andy being only one who can take over. Leaving Starmer in till locals just going to hurt candidates. He has to go soon.
I think Labour and Burnham are over estimating his popularity. He could become leader on the ‘not Starmer’ vote, but, I don’t think he will be any more popular than Starmer with the general public
Blocking him is a bad move by the party.
Letting him run and undermine the government is a bad move by the party.
As always, the center left always find a way to set up a circular firing squad.
Genuinely, why is he applying to contest the By-election such big news on the beeb at the moment? I feel quite out of the loop on this.
The smart move would be to allow him back into Westminster and immediately appoint him as Deputy PM.
An utterly idiotic move that undermines the work he’s been doing in Manchester AND risks undermining and undoing the good work Labour have been doing in government.
He has to beat the NEC, (Who’ll probably cave this time because there’ll be national attention on them) then he has to beat Reform (the biggest barrier in my mind, but helped by Farage continuing to suck Trump dick and the fact that everyone knows Burnham is looking to lead) and then he has to beat Starmer which is funnily enough the easiest thing for him to do.
Politics is hopefully going to be a little less depressing in this country over the next year.
The media will not be able to throw the ‘North London Liberal Elite’ accusation at him. He is popular in the North West. I think that he will be a good PM.
Andy Burnham only really seems like a potential Labour leader because the press have built him into one. There are plenty of Labour politicians who have similar or bigger public profiles which aren’t largely based on the press saying they’re a potential party leader.
What kind of person looks at what is going on in the world at the moment and thinks…”yeah I want to deal with Trump, the Ukraine war and the rise of fascism again. I’m good enough.”
How cocky do you have to be? I wouldn’t want to be Starmer for all of the money in the world.
This is in my opinion Labours last and only chance to get ahead of Reform, save the country from becoming the 52nd state of America by Farage and turn the party around to what it should stand for. What Andy Burnham has done for greater Manchester is probably the biggest success story of any City in Europe. It would likely finally push economic policy more towards the North of England. If he can replicate even 50% of the housing/building performance of Manchester in the rest of the country, it would solve the UK’s housing crisis and generate huge economic input from private investment inside and outside the UK.
He just needs Kier Starmer to accept it and think of “Country first, Party second”.
Hell if he gets in as an MP and becomes leader of Labour I’d even vote for them – that’s something I never thought I’d say.
Low stakes conspiracy: Labour are doing this to make Reform spend so much money campaigning here, in the hope that Burnham loses both this seat and the Manchester mayoral elections, that they have run out of money and will shut up and cry all the way back to Claptout.
This is looking SO ugly and I really lost a lot of respect for Burnham. Who does he think he is? Saviour complex or something. Starmer is stabilising and clawing back popularity. And who cares about popularity anyway, we need a stable gov until the next election. I really cannot stand the backbenchers and frothing (uninformed, loud mouthed, illogical) lefties who are the main ones undermining the first social democratic and progressive government of my lifetime. Really cannot stand them any more, and I used to agree so much with them.
It would be hilarious if he didn’t even get elected
I like how Will Lloyd at the New Statesman put it:
>There’s a fascinating contrast between Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham if you read these two in-depth New Statesman profiles.
>Starmer: Britain isn’t broken
>Burnham: Britain needs an entirely new political economy
[https://x.com/Will___lloyd/status/1970778566595162577](https://x.com/Will___lloyd/status/1970778566595162577)
I don’t know much about how Burnham would want to rebuilt a new political economy for Britain, or whether he’s remotely capable of doing so.
But he’s at least starting from the right position, whereas Starmer will always govern badly because he doesn’t recognise the whole thing’s broken.
In his letter to the NEC, Burnham insisted he would be in Parliament “to support the work of the government, not undermine it”.
Starting out with such a brazen and obvious lie isn’t a great look tbh.
Clearly, there are moves against Starmer, the MP who stood down, was caught out acting like an arsehole, and now is playing the sick card. No doubt he has been paid off very nicely by tax fiddler Angel, who wants her pound of flesh even though she screwed herself.
More left-wing stupidity and taxes are not what Labour needs to do next
Starmer is getting on a bit at 63, especially if he was to be PM after the next election.
Having some potential replacements in the wings isn’t a bad thing.
Bad move this, Starmer is not perfect but he runs the international side. This move just makes Labour look like the Torys.
So he just wants to make matters even worse for Labour.
Perhaps the least genuine person in the whole of British politics
Fuck off Burnham nobody wants a leadership challenge.
Think this is super shortsighted in so many ways. I doubt Labour will get my vote next time.
There’s been clues (at least in the GMCA circles) that this has been coming for months, if not longer. Relaxation of concessionary bus travel and other things seems like his final ‘gift’ as Mayor before eyeing up a return to Westminister.
Isn’t this the guy who keeps lying to that little girl from tiktok on the radio