Andy Burnham has plan to return to Westminster ‘within weeks’. Allies sayGreater Manchester mayor said to have identified seats where MPs would step aside to allow leadership bid.

Violetbynight

Andy Burnham is a brilliant Mayor of Manchester, maybe Wes Streeting would be a good choice for Prime Minister as he does seem to be a steady pair of hands.

Everybody - well most people- thought Starmer would be a steady pair of hands after the lunacy of BoJo and Truss.
See where that got us?

Has anybody anywhere suggested Brown or Harman are or should be MP?
Clearly not, but either Starmer thinks some “wisdom” might rub off on him or it’s a case of keeping his enemies inside the tent “p*ssing out instead of outside and p*ssing in”
In which case , he needs to bring Ange and Andy into the fold.

I'm sure West doesn't see herself as a real PM contender

Of course not, she’s to be what’s called a stalking horse
A stalking horse is a figure used to test a concept or mount a challenge on behalf of a third party. If the idea proves viable or popular, the third party can then declare its interest and advance the concept with little risk of failure.

Trump must be rubbing his hands in glee.

Allira

Trump must be rubbing his hands in glee.

He may - but that would be of no consequence.

1) He has enough, larger problems of his own
2) He will no doubt likely be facing the same situation come the US mid term elections.

MawsRosie

Violetbynight

Andy Burnham is a brilliant Mayor of Manchester, maybe Wes Streeting would be a good choice for Prime Minister as he does seem to be a steady pair of hands.

Everybody - well most people- thought Starmer would be a steady pair of hands after the lunacy of BoJo and Truss.
See where that got us?

Has anybody anywhere suggested Brown or Harman are or should be MP?
Clearly not, but either Starmer thinks some “wisdom” might rub off on him or it’s a case of keeping his enemies inside the tent “p*ssing out instead of outside and p*ssing in”
In which case , he needs to bring Ange and Andy into the fold.

No one has actually suggested B or H should be an MP. Neither are either of them putting themselves forward to be elected as MPS Ian due course.

Neither of them will have any responsibility for any portfolios or any safeguarding issues.

MawsRosie

^I'm sure West doesn't see herself as a real PM contender^

Of course not, she’s to be what’s called a stalking horse
A stalking horse is a figure used to test a concept or mount a challenge on behalf of a third party. If the idea proves viable or popular, the third party can then declare its interest and advance the concept with little risk of failure.

MawsRosie- I entirely agree.

I predicted yesterday in a post a smoking horse may come forward, described it in the same way and lo and behold, one has.

"stalking" horse that is...

LemonJam

Allira

Trump must be rubbing his hands in glee.

He may - but that would be of no consequence.

1) He has enough, larger problems of his own
2) He will no doubt likely be facing the same situation come the US mid term elections.

But it does make it easier for Trump to dismiss/ridicule/downplay anything Sir Keir says about the Iran war, going forward.

Nothing stopped Trump dismissing/ridiculing/downplaying anything any country leader has said about the Iran war- before the UK Local elections so in my view it makes no difference afterwards. I look with interest though what China might say next week and whether Trump takes any notice.

He pays no regard to anybody anyway fancythat, he’s consistently insulted all the European leaders. I don’t think this will register on his agenda - given he doesn’t believe Farage is up to it either, he doesn’t have any alternatives to offer, he just thinks the UK is against him and uses whatever tactics his fertile imagination can muster to rubbish everything we do.

Perhaps the King should be the PM, that would pose Trump a dilemma he would find hard to deal with, possibly the only solution that would get him off our back.

Violetbynight

Andy Burnham is a brilliant Mayor of Manchester, maybe Wes Streeting would be a good choice for Prime Minister as he does seem to be a steady pair of hands.

You do know that Streeting is funded mostly by private health related companies or individuals, don't you?

They're not doing it in the hopes of picking up small NHS contracts here and there, they want bigtime opportunities. As far as I can see the NHS is under threat from Sweeting and we could lose it in its current form with him in charge...

I do know that the NHS already outsources a great deal to the private sector, but, as with other areas, such as social care, is provision by private companies with a profit element in their charges, really the way to go?

Do the Labour MPs pushing for change not realise that any incoming prime minister will be subjected to exactly the same destroying tactics that the right wing press and social media have used on Starmer? No one will stand a chance. Any past misdemeanour, any badly chosen words, will be seized on ànd magnified.
The right wing press wants to destabilise the Labour Party. A pity if Labour MPs do the job themselves.

Very well said , Winterwhite. The right wing press have had it in for the Labour government from the very beginning.

LemonJam

"stalking" horse that is...

🤣🤣🤣
What with smoking guns and stalking horses - TG we don’t have to learn English as a second language!

The BBC has published this in the last hour “Can Starmer survive as PM? Seven scenarios for what might happen next”
just listing the seven scenarios the BBC puts forward:

1) MP Catherine West triggers a leadership contest
2) West falls just short of the numbers needed
3) West gets few backers and strengthens Starmer's position, for now
4) Starmer is persuaded to set a timetable for his exit
5) Starmer convinces Labour MPs he can turn it round
6) Andy Burnham engineers a return to Westminster
7) Starmer decides he has had enough and stands down

We could have a little game - imagine alternative scenarios..
8) MP Starmer and the Labour Party decide they can’t be assed with the media and don’t tell them anything at all, preferring to use white smoke out of a chimney at Westminster once a decision is made (this is my favoured option)

I bet Catherine West is enjoying her fifteen minutes of fame. Hope she ends up with egg on her face.winter white is right: the right wing press will attack any new leader. They’ve been trying to pin something on Starmer ever since donkeygate and they’re having a field day now.

So Angela Raynor is backing Burnham for Prime Minister I really don't know why she thinks she knows about what's good for labour She instigated the changes making it more difficult for people in social housing to buy their homes once she had made money buying hers

MawsRosie

^I'm sure West doesn't see herself as a real PM contender^

Of course not, she’s to be what’s called a stalking horse
A stalking horse is a figure used to test a concept or mount a challenge on behalf of a third party. If the idea proves viable or popular, the third party can then declare its interest and advance the concept with little risk of failure.

Am glad you said that, stalking horse, as I keep reading people writing smoking horse, which to me sounds like a mix of stalking horse and smoking gun.😄

Oh, reading back on this thread I see you have already said this
MawsRosie

Casdon

We could have a little game - imagine alternative scenarios..
8) MP Starmer and the Labour Party decide they can’t be assed with the media and don’t tell them anything at all, preferring to use white smoke out of a chimney at Westminster once a decision is made (this is my favoured option)

😂😂😂

Sorry but I can't top that one!
😂😂😂

I was fairly sure that the labour party wouldn't challenge their leader, but I think it is certainly looking like Rayner is making a move.

Allira

Sorry but I can't top that one!
😂😂😂

I’m bored now of the media, it’s like Groundhog Day every morning with the will he, won’t he.. I watched the Plaid entry into the Senedd, which was uplifting, as light relief. A bit of Welsh singing always cheers me up.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c7593qw4ggzo

I’ve always been a bit of a news addict. It may be partly tough family/personal circumstances but I resonated with Casdon in being a bit bored

Yes KS made a mess of comms, of trying to introduce policies he’d not brought the unruly back benchers with him, he made a big mess with Mandelson but ….. he isn’t the devil incarnate and remains the best pm with integrity we’ve had in a while