Andrew Gwynne, Labour MP for Gorton and Denton is standing down because of ill health. Thus provoking a great deal of speculation as to who will stand in his place.

MOnica
I made no comment about beliefs etc of the resigning MP.
It is a matter of fact that he is not a Labour MP.
Which the OP has graciously acknowledged

Thats the one!

Burnham failed twice to be leader of the Labour Party, will he risk giving up his present position?

Anniebach

Burnham failed twice to be leader of the Labour Party, will he risk giving up his present position?

He's not been twiddling his fingers ever since, though. He took on a big job, and, as far as I can tell, he's doing it well. That experience will count for a lot as far as the skillset needed for a PM is concerned.

I think his politics appeal to a great many Labour members and MPs as they are far more true to what people would consider to be Labour principles than those of much of the current government.

I'm prepared to say that 'maybe' it could be third time lucky

Anniebach

Burnham failed twice to be leader of the Labour Party, will he risk giving up his present position?

It would be quite a big risk as well. He is doing a really good job here in Manchester and is highly thought of by a lot of people.
He might not wish to risk failure, but on the other hand, he thinks he has a better idea of how to help the country and might like to give it a go, even at the risk of damaging his reputation for competence.
Manchester is a growing economy, which he would like to replicate over the country.

he thinks he has a better idea of how to help the country

Oh per-lease?

eazybee

^he thinks he has a better idea of how to help the country^

Oh per-lease?

eh?

eazybee

^he thinks he has a better idea of how to help the country^

Oh per-lease?

I didn’t realise you were in his head eazybee, reading his very thoughts. Are you actually him?

The politically knowledgeable Phil Moorhouse (with his own bias).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw9PABBaDGM

I’ve watched Phil. I don’t think he’s saying anything different from other left - centre left commentators that I’ve read. Although I wouldn’t say that it is a vanity project on Burnham’s part. I suspect he just thinks he could do a better job. Is that vanity or is it ambition?

If, very big if, if he did become PM he has the advantage of having been an MP, so knows how Parliament works ,and having been a government Minister, so is experienced at working with the civil service and how to achieve his objectives.

He has also exercised his leadership skills in a .quite major political role as Mayor of Manchester, where he has needed to get agreement and co-operation to implement his policies across the political spectrum. He would come to the PM role better prepared than many past PMS.

I do agree with a number of Phil’s commenters who said that if Starmer were to get rid of McSweeny he might fare better…

Ilovecheese

Anniebach

Burnham failed twice to be leader of the Labour Party, will he risk giving up his present position?

It would be quite a big risk as well. He is doing a really good job here in Manchester and is highly thought of by a lot of people.
He might not wish to risk failure, but on the other hand, he thinks he has a better idea of how to help the country and might like to give it a go, even at the risk of damaging his reputation for competence.
Manchester is a growing economy, which he would like to replicate over the country.

He’s not doing it for the good of the country. He’s doing it out of personal ambition and probably a disgruntlement about not being chosen as party leader twice. Starmer gave up a pretty good career in law to become a politician, united the party and won a general election. Maybe he deserves a bit of loyalty.

Thank you for watching Maizie it's always good to have other views.

The Tories were rightly castigated for their constant briefing against their current leader leading to frequent changes and ultimately disaster. Jenrick is following the same route.

Now Labour is doing exactly the same. Starmer would have done better to remain a lawyer, but instead he worked with Corbyn, then undermined him and is now experiencing the same treatment, from the very ambitious Andy Burnham, self-styled 'King of the North.'
For the good of the country, my foot.

I don’t think Starmer undermined Corbyn. Corbyn lost two elections for the party so how could he continue as leader. At least Starmer shows that he can work with difficult people.

MaizieD

kittylester

I think Andy Burnham seems like a brilliant mayor. PM is a whole different kettle of fish.

Starmer was a Human Rights barrister and a good Director of Public Prosecutions. Look where that has got us…

Nobody who has become a PM has ever had the experience and obvious skill set. We take a chance on them being effective at the job every single time.

How true!

MayBee70

I don’t think Starmer undermined Corbyn. Corbyn lost two elections for the party so how could he continue as leader. At least Starmer shows that he can work with difficult people.

Neither do I. Perhaps you can explain what you meant by that eazybee.

I also think that some of the Tory leaders were rightly briefed against by their own party, imagine Liz Truss remaining in post for a long period for example. However I felt very sorry for Rishi Sunak, he didn’t deserve it in my opinion, he was the best Tory leader since 2010.

I can't understand why Burnam isn't fighting for a reduced (and less expensive) House of Lord possibly meeting less frequently and a new House of Mayors, feeding into government and the pushing the equality of all areas.

Well, Burnham has put himself forward for election.

He has published his letter to the NEC on social media.

bsky.app/profile/andyburnham.bsky.social/post/3md6oxtrtck2u

Well Burnham is going for it.
Casdon I agree conpletely about Sunak, although I worry that my standards may have just lowered.

Sorry Maizie, cross posted.

Starmer had Corbyn completely out of his Party. That was poor. He can't work with difficult people, he simply removes the whip.
Now he has Andy Burnham snapping at his heels, pretending it is for the good of the country.
Nothing but venal self-interest.
Sunak made a mess of his premiership because he was used to succeeding in everything he did, (by his own efforts) but suddenly he wasn't, and he didn't know how to cope with failure. So he pitchforked the party into an election without sufficient preparation, and took a lot of good MPs down with him.
More chaos ahead.

eazybee, you spin a personal political theory as though it’s a fact. Never a hint of ‘I think’, or ‘in my opinion’. The world of politics is never black and white like that in my view.

If Labour doesn't get rid of Sweeney and start acting like a Labour government instead of lurching rightwards and chasing =after Reform voters it is going to lose the next General Election. I think that Burnham thinks he might as well go for it now, with still a couple of years to go and se if he could turn it around.

I don’t think Burnham will have the level of support though. He has prematurely shot his mouth off, and alienated a lot of people. He’s the great hope of the left, but that is not the whole party, or the whole tranche of current MPs, or of Labour voters. I just have a bad feeling about it, whereas I think he is a square peg in a square hole in his current job.

I think I probably agree with Casdon. If I am being honest I think it is too late whoever is leader, however the Tories defecting to Reform is a massive error by Reform in my view so perhaps that may change things.