Where’s Nigel?

"Are we going to accept this undemocratic attempt to plonk this unknown person who has never been a MP, into such an important and challenging position.?" Ronib

AB was the MP for Leigh from 2201 -2017 and Mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017-2026

He has been secretary of state for Health, Secretary of state for Culture, media and Sport, Chief secretary of the Treasury and Minister of state for Health (responsible for Delivery and Quality) and was a parliamentary under secretary at the Home office. He's also held a number of shadow positions.

Goodness me Chestnut but there are so many loud left wing voices they just keep shouting them down at every opportunity.

If you believe Farage cant stand or cope with left wing voices and is too fragile what's he doing in politics?!

Farage uses his far right wing loud voice as often as he likes and amplifies it as often as he can in his chosen right wing media outlets and on GB news- for handsome £ sums. He needs to get a grip and stop playing the victim card! 😂

'They cannot get enough experienced, responsible people behind him to form a government'
I agree with this, and wonder why.
He has been in the game long enough to have gathered suitable candidates.

I don’t think it’s right to blame people on the left for Reform’s weaknesses and failures Chestnut. The only way they can possibly succeed is to beat the Tory party and take over the Tory vote. There are always going to be dissenters and rubbishes from opposition parties and their supporters, that’s just a fact they have to live with.

I think the problem Reform have is the same as UKIP and the Brexit Party. They have a very determined leader who knows where he's going but cannot get enough experienced, responsible people behind him to form a government.

Labour and the Conservatives and even the Lib Dems have been running the show for so many years, they hold all the power. I realise that has changed somewhat lately but trying to get a political party together with anything like as much clout is well nigh impossible. You'd need dozens of MPS switching over, even hundreds. Reform can't magic out of thin air responsible, experienced politicians.

So although I've never voted for them I do feel slightly supportive in what they are trying to achieve. We need a right wing party (not far right!) to have a good balance but there are so many loud left wing voices they just keep shouting them down at every opportunity.

Chestnut

LemonJam Farage said "Ive been physically more attacked over many years than any other politician. Just so disrespectful to other MPs that have been murdered.

Oh wow, so you would prefer that he was murdered too? If he has been attacked that many times then he has every right to protect himself. He has clearly stated that the money is for his personal security because he will need protecting for the rest of his life.

I stand by my comment that Farage's exaggerated comment yesterday that he has been physically attacked over many years than any other politician is incorrect, as others have been murdered and is disrespectful to those politicians that have suffered serious harm and lost their lives.

He stated as early as yesterday the £5million was given as a gift that could be spent on anything he wanted- a Ferrari or even betting.

Farage has the same access to a security risk assessment and provision of state security as a result of that risk assessment as any other MP. Evidence of his "attacks" forms part of that security assessment. Why he should feel he is a special case than any other MP or politician and should be treated any differently is a mystery to me.

Of course, I believe we should always get the career related facts right when we are talking about politicians though.

Time will tell.

ronib

I stand corrected Casdon
Although a big jump on to the international game? Probably where Starmer had his strength?

He’s got more political experience than Starmer, Sunak, Truss or Johnson had when they became PM ronib.

ronib

I stand corrected Casdon
Although a big jump on to the international game? Probably where Starmer had his strength?

What other UK party leader has PM or Foreign Secretary experience on the world stage? Quite simply None no other party leader either has yet been PM so AB is not an outlier.

No reason to doubt the new PM , whoever they may be will have a problem in the 'international game'. Strengths and weaknesses yet to be proven, as is the case for all PMs as they come to office.

Do you believe him Chestnut?

Surely if that was what he’d earmarked the funds for, he would use a bit of it to do what all other MPs do, and do a surgery in his constituency at least once a month.

AB has Central and regional government performance stretching over many years

AB has more UK central and regional government experience and successes and political experience than Starmer, Badenoch, Farage, etc.

I stand corrected Casdon
Although a big jump on to the international game? Probably where Starmer had his strength?

LemonJam Farage said "Ive been physically more attacked over many years than any other politician. Just so disrespectful to other MPs that have been murdered.

Oh wow, so you would prefer that he was murdered too? If he has been attacked that many times then he has every right to protect himself. He has clearly stated that the money is for his personal security because he will need protecting for the rest of his life.

He always disappears when the going gets tough, which says a lot about how he would be as P.M.

Regional government ronib. Local government is one borough or county.

Solid performance in local government.

rowyn Burnham has been both an MP and a minister previously, he isn’t a hick from a backwater.

For you and anybody else who doesn’t know anything about him, here is a potted version of his political careeer from Wikipedia.

At the 2001 general election, he was elected as the MP for Leigh in Greater Manchester. Under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, he held several government roles, including Culture Secretary, a role in which he launched the Hillsborough Independent Panel.

In 2009, he was promoted to Health Secretary, a role in which he responded to the swine flu pandemic and launched an independent inquiry into the Stafford Hospital scandal.

Following the 2010 general election, Burnham was a candidate in the Labour leadership election won by Ed Miliband, coming fourth out of five candidates.

From 2010 to 2015, he served as Shadow Education Secretary and Shadow Health Secretary under Miliband. Following the 2015 general election, Burnham contested the resulting Labour leadership election, and finished second behind Jeremy Corbyn.

From 2015 to 2016, Burnham served as Shadow Home Secretary under Corbyn.

After being selected as Labour's candidate for the new Greater Manchester Mayoralty, he stood down as an MP at the 2017 general election, won the 2017 mayoral election, and was re-elected in the 2021 and 2024 elections.

Absolutely right Maremia...

Of course we won't have a GE.
How many times did the Tories change Leadership?
Acceptable then, acceptable now.

rowyn

Is everyone just sitting down and calmly accepting that the fact that Byurnham is now an MP so he will become Prime minister?

Imay not always be with him, but I'm withFarage wilst he is demanding a General Election.

Surely we're not going to sit down and just accept that Labour is in power and they can choose a new PM just like that!( Not that I know whether he has been chosen yet.
If nothing else, the fact that the Labour MPS seem to be meekly accepting a change of Prime minister, is proving that they believe that Starmer is a failure. And if he is, so is labour.

Are we going to accept this undemocratic attempt to plonk this unknown person who has never been a MP, into such an important and challenging position.?

I could say a lot more, but I wont rant- it's too hot

No we're all just waiting to see what happens. Ideally more contenders will come forward so there is a fair, square, tested leadership contest. It's a case of watch this space- would be contenders need to find their 81 supporters to be able to compete.

Farage is wrong that there needs to be a GE. He might want one but there is no need for one. The LP won the last GE democratically- so are in government for 5 years as Farage well knows. He's just agitating and being provocative for no purpose other than to agitate and grab headlines. Farage has only 4 MPs voted fair, square and democratically as Reform MPs Others were voted as Conservative MPs by their constituents but defected from the Conservative Party to Reform. Farage didn't feel the need to call a by- election in those circumstances to ensure democracy and was quite happy to calmly accept them into Reform UK. One rule for him but another rule for others approach?

AB is not an unknown as you state you may just not be aware of his career to date and achievements. He won Makerfield by election fair and square, democratically and decisively. You may not like what's going on and of course are free to rant- but it is not undemocratic.

If Reform is still around for the next GE then of course Farage will still be in charge of that Limited Company
because
Farage is one of the owners of the Company
and
there is no mechanism for people who sign up to Reform, for voting to change its leadership.
There is no way to get rid of him.
Simple.

To add another Member of Parliament to those who appear regularly in the House or Commons, my MP has voted 449 times.
I have seen her in Parliament, and on television, raising issues relevant to her constituents. She is a new Labour politician.
All of the same applies to the MP of my neighbouring constituency, who is a long standing Conservative .

@rowyn

It sounded like a Farage rant to me.

It is quite usual for party leaders, and therefore PMs to be replaced midterm. Major, Brown, Johnson, Truss and Sunak to mention some recent and fairly recent ones. Did you rant about that, too?

It has been explained several times on the threads about Burnham that in a General Election voters vote for an MP of the party that best represents their views, not for the PM. It is not a presidential role. Farage's current objections carry no weight whatsoever.

The point is that Farage does everything he can to avoid scrutiny because when he does his mask slips and we see what’s really behind the jolly facade…