Starmer’s Speech today.

It’s also that pubs are closing because people go to the pub less often. If your argument was correct Cardamon they would transfer their custom to another pub that was still open, and increase its profits.

I'd also propose that it's the UK population itself that has accelerated the decline of High Streets even if it's politicians who have no vision of how they could be transformed.

Only partially correct. UK pubs are closing at a rate of nearly one to two per day, driven by a combination of rising costs and inflation: Pubs face severe financial pressure from rising utility bills, increased business rates, higher VAT, and higher supply chain costs. Added to that, employers face a significant increase in employment taxes, with the main rate of NICs rising from 13.8% to 15%. Additionally, the threshold at which employers start paying NICs on employee earnings is dropping from £9,100 to £5,000 per year, significantly increasing costs for businesses, especially those with part-time staff. Result? More people out of the work place and claiming benefits.

Rachel in Accounts has no clue of the consequences of her lack of knowledge or experience.

Iam not sure that leeches cling to blankets.

When will the message get through that there is not going to be an election. If you were the party in power with a three year term still to go, and were unpopular, knowing you wouldn’t be elected again what would you do? Would you take a kamikaze action, or would you try to hang on to power whilst trying to improve your ratings? Come on now, be sensible.

If the labour party cannot another half decent leader, the answer is simple: call an election.

And the alternatives are even worse than what we have now. Try the Tories again after their 14 years of inept corruption and destruction? Or Farage and his utter corruption and dishonesty; he couldn't lead a dog on a piece of string, let alone lead a government. Or Polanski the tit whisperer? We could watch silently as he dismantles national interests and security whilst promoting pro Palestine and open borders. Oh God, I hate to even think it but it looks like Starmer is the best we've got.

Once a communist always a communist, or rather, once almost a communist always almost a communist.

Are you suggesting that Starmer is/was a communist? That is delusional, MOnica

I listened to 2/3 of his speech on Utube but I couldn’t listen to the end because it just made me sick. He is delusional.

Cardamom

I'd have more confidence in Starmer if he ditched Rachel in Accounts; get someone in as Treasurer who knows what they're doing instead of repeatedly hiking taxes on small businesses who are then forced to make redundancies or close down. She's accelerated the high street decline single handedly. Time she was out.

never a truer word spoken, whenever she opens her mouth the first word that comes out is tax...with that ...look at what I can do ...smile on her face..she needs to go..

Once a communist always a communist, or rather, once almost a communist always almost a communist.

You plot and plan to be the leader when the people's vote sweeps you into power. When they want you out, you cling like a leech to a blanket, refusing to go.

As to who succeeds him. That is irrelevant. The facts if the matter was that local elections were hijacked to be a vote on the government. This vote told in no uncertain terms that they were failures, had let the country down and that they should go. Labours leader, true to his nearly communist past refuses to go. Now we are seeing the autocratic real Starmer.

If the labour party cannot another half decent leader, the answer is simple: call an election.

I'd also propose that it's the UK population itself that has accelerated the decline of High Streets even if it's politicians who have no vision of how they could be transformed.

Cardamom

I'd have more confidence in Starmer if he ditched Rachel in Accounts; get someone in as Treasurer who knows what they're doing instead of repeatedly hiking taxes on small businesses who are then forced to make redundancies or close down. She's accelerated the high street decline single handedly. Time she was out.

Useless.

All he'd get is another 'economist' who treats the national economy like a household economy and who lives in fear of bond vigilantes.

Mollygo

Who would people like to see instead if Starmer?
I keep reading suggestions of Rayner or Reeves but don’t feel they’d be an improvement. If KS does go, let’s hope the replacement has cleaned up their act before being appointed. Starting as PM with a list of accusations about your actions has never been a good idea.

Burnham.

He has the support of one of the very few MPs I know of who actually understands how a national economy works and knows that the current economic orthodoxy is not only not working, but can also be changed. Clive Lewis, MP for a Norwich ward.

I posted a couple of links to his message on X this morning, One directly to X, another to a verbatim reproduction of it by Richard Murphy

x.com/labourlewis/status/2053538238384787606?s=66

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2026/05/11/clive-lewis-the-labour-mp-who-gets-it/

It's long, but worth reading by anyone with an interest in alternatives to the current state of affairs.

(Burnham does, of course, have more MP supporters than just Clive Lewis)

Even if Burnham doesn't get the leadership what he has done in Manchester is a good blueprint for what Labour could achieve

I'd have more confidence in Starmer if he ditched Rachel in Accounts; get someone in as Treasurer who knows what they're doing instead of repeatedly hiking taxes on small businesses who are then forced to make redundancies or close down. She's accelerated the high street decline single handedly. Time she was out.

I believe the stalking horse has withdrawn her challenge; obviously can't get enough MPs to support her, but is asking for an orderly exit in the Autumn.

Starmer is not giving up because he 'is not going to be plunging our country into chaos; the Labour Government would never be forgiven.' Note: not Starmer.

He did attempt to establish his Working class People credentials, again, by talking about Mum and Dad and siblings Working Very Hard and struggling to pay their bills. He didn't mention his late twenties-niece, two degrees and still no paid job, parachuted into Croydon as a prospective councillor while two serving councillors were blocked from standing. Didn't hear whether she was elected.

Did it take him all weekend to write that speech?

Fallingstar

If Starmer cares so much about the country I believe he should fall on his sword and let another leader step up.
We have to prevent the billionaires club aka Reform from coming to power and this requires a new leader and a major rethink.

Farage used Starmer Out as a slogan during the council elections. Why can’t people see that, if Starmer is made to stand down Farage will claim it as a personal victory and it will only strengthen his so called party? ( you know, the one that would have taken us into a war with Iran). He’s already destroyed the Conservative Party and he’s now destroying Labour. And the electorate who are supporting him are the very people that will suffer the most under a Reform government. Just like in America now.
.

I was going to mention all the things he said that made me livid but I'll just say that the arrogance of the man is unreal.

Who would people like to see instead if Starmer?
I keep reading suggestions of Rayner or Reeves but don’t feel they’d be an improvement. If KS does go, let’s hope the replacement has cleaned up their act before being appointed. Starting as PM with a list of accusations about your actions has never been a good idea.

MaizieD

Kandinsky

They say they have to change - but how?
They have to appeal to all the reform voters who took their votes & that’s more or less impossible for them.

From the figures I've seen Reform took most of their votes from the tories, not Labour. Previous Labour voters tended to go to the Lib Dems or Green. Or Nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales.

Labour trued very hard to appeal to potential Reform voters in their first 18 months. It hasn't worked. Why vote Labour when you can vote for the real thing?

Spot on! Thinking he needed to appease Reform voters was Starmer's big mistake. The Tories' collapse is as much responsible as anything else.

Well I’m very pleased that Starmer announced the
re- nationalisation of British Steel. It is the only way to save the steel industry in the UK and it’s vital to our future to maintain capacity here rather than relying on other countries, some of which are hostile.

Kandinsky

They say they have to change - but how?
They have to appeal to all the reform voters who took their votes & that’s more or less impossible for them.

From the figures I've seen Reform took most of their votes from the tories, not Labour. Previous Labour voters tended to go to the Lib Dems or Green. Or Nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales.

Labour trued very hard to appeal to potential Reform voters in their first 18 months. It hasn't worked. Why vote Labour when you can vote for the real thing?

If Starmer cares so much about the country I believe he should fall on his sword and let another leader step up.
We have to prevent the billionaires club aka Reform from coming to power and this requires a new leader and a major rethink.

They say they have to change - but how?
They have to appeal to all the reform voters who took their votes & that’s more or less impossible for them.

It’s too late, the writings on the wall, he’s toast now and any other similar sayings.
He will have to go, sooner or later.

What about the ‘22 billion black hole’ they inherited? Is that on there?
Should imagine it’s worse today with all the borrowing.
The one I hate is ‘let’s be clear’, especially when RR borrows that statement, Tv is switched off at that point.

Nick Ferrari’s BS Bingo and it’s pretty much a full house today