Am I just being impatient and mean? New PM

nanna8

Gut feeling is that Farage will be on a slow decline and will disappear in a puff of smoke before your next election. Someone else will take his place because there is a bit of a ‘gap’ and an opposition party will emerge.

He’s not on a ‘slow’ decline. He’s already lying low most of the time because being an MP was always going to mean he wouldn’t survive the sort of public scrutiny he is now getting. Of course, Burnham will get the credit for it but it was already happening.

fancythat

I can hardly believe that some Labour Supporters are complaining about their Leader already.

My support for Labour, lifelong as it may be, isn’t cast in stone. I can’t suddenly support a new leader who has become PM by what I consider devious means especially as I was given no say in the matter. And I am getting frequent emails asking me to donate money to pay for a mayors election that wasn’t even necessary. I’ve always said that I will always give credit where credit is due no matter which party it applies too and for the same reason I can’t eulogise about a party leader who happens to be someone I have never liked or trusted. I shall still support and campaign for my Labour MP but, then again she is of the same opinion.

MayBee70

nanna8

Gut feeling is that Farage will be on a slow decline and will disappear in a puff of smoke before your next election. Someone else will take his place because there is a bit of a ‘gap’ and an opposition party will emerge.

He’s not on a ‘slow’ decline. He’s already lying low most of the time because being an MP was always going to mean he wouldn’t survive the sort of public scrutiny he is now getting. Of course, Burnham will get the credit for it but it was already happening.

'More in Common' poll released today shows Labour has regained its lead over Reform UK since AB became PM. Last week showed Labour already up and narrowly behind/ or neck and neck with Reform UK- but now 4 points ahead

It's a very long time since Labour help the lead in the polls under Starmer- almost 18 months.

For much of the past year Reform UK has had a lead of more than 10 points over other parties in most opinion polls so thats a sharp decline- now a slow decline.

AB seems to have had beneficial effect on the ecltroate as a whole to get to a 4 point lead position.

Despite resigning as Clacton MP and then putting himself forward for re selection as Clacton MP- and supposedly now campaigning to try and hold onto his seat- I agree Farage is lying low compared to his frequent in person press announcements where he did answered journalist questions. He's cut down on those drastically, taken to filming his own announcements for the most part so as to avoid press questions no doubt- for reasons known to him- and for the electorate to speculate in line with press scrutiny.

Reform UK won't get to regain or maintain its long standing 10 point poll lead with a leader lying low and steering clear of press scrutiny. Plus lying low just as an opposition party new PM comes into role is absolutely NOT the time to lie low.

now = not

Mm, the Haigh/Burnham coup appears to have been ‘well timed’ (if you like that kind of thing):

1) Just as Nigel Farage is coming under even more intense scrutiny (particularly by the media🤔) about the £5million, taking Reform into a downward popularity spiral.

2) Just as parliament goes into recess for the summer so no PMQs / scrutiny for Burnham in HoC by opposing MPs.

If you want a coup planning, you know who to call!

Well, he's not really a regular, working class, ‘Northern’ bloke now is he?
(If he ever really was.)

But the thing I dislike about him are his sharp elbows - and I expect him to claim other's achievements as his own.
I believe he has been doing this for years.

But I confess I'm anxious in case other's feel as I do.... and he is currently all we have on offer.
I wish there had at least been a contest.

There was a leadership contest- Andy Burnham won emphatically as he had so many supporters no other contender could beat him....

Good to see how the Labour Party have advanced in polling since AB became PM- taking away Farage's 10 point lead for over a year.

Definition of the word ‘contest’:

“noun. a formal game or match in which two or more people, teams, etc, compete and attempt to win. a struggle for victory between opposing forces or interests”

There was no leadership contest.

The PLP got behind Burnham so that no other MP had enough support to challenge him.

Please don’t explain the LP rules to me - I know them.

IMO, the coup organisers orchestrated things in order to by-pass the CLP (25,000 of us).

Why? Because the CLP twice rejected AB as leader of the LP … and they were afraid we might do it again.

They wanted their man in at all costs - even if that meant ‘twisting’ democracy.

There was no leadership contest.

In a leadership contest the participants usually debate with other MP’s and lay out what their plans would be if elected. How could Burnhams coronation be regarded as a contest? It had been planned way in advance by the PLP.

Crossed posts Lizzie!

I think unswerving loyalty to a party is not a good idea, I left the labour party over policy decisions but it is perfectly reasonable for those who supported labour to express concerns over whst happened in terms of leadership, it wasn't particularly edifying.

Fact - Labour Party website 17 July 2026: AndyBurnham, MP for Makerfield, has today been elected Leader of the Labour Party.

Burnham received the support of 379 Labour MPs and 23 affiliate organisations.

This afternoon, at Labour’s Special Conference at the Trades Union Congress in London, the new Labour Leader was officially announced by Shabana Mahmood MP, Chair of Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee.

To win a party leadership contest you need supporters- Andy Burham had overwhelming support.

I’d have preferred a contest too. I think you took the conspiracy theory way too far though when you suggested that there was some part played by the Burnham campaign in Farage’s downfall LizzieDrip, that did make me laugh.

LemonJam

To win a party leadership contest you need supporters- Andy Burham had overwhelming support.

I know a lot of people that have resigned their membership over it, not having had a say in any of it.

LizzieDrip

Mm, the Haigh/Burnham coup appears to have been ‘well timed’ (if you like that kind of thing):

1) Just as Nigel Farage is coming under even more intense scrutiny (particularly by the media🤔) about the £5million, taking Reform into a downward popularity spiral.

2) Just as parliament goes into recess for the summer so no PMQs / scrutiny for Burnham in HoC by opposing MPs.

If you want a coup planning, you know who to call!

Imo the electorate would soon have realised that a lot of things planned by Keir’s government were starting to work. Boat numbers were coming down. Reform were being exposed for what they are. It was now or never for the PLP to make Burnham PM. A lot of the things he’s now promising were in the pipeline anyway. He was in Derby today, a city that has been granted millions by the government but I assume that everyone will think it’s down to him.

Everyone is aware of the LP voting rules and that members would have had a say if there had been 2 contenders or more in the running. But as no other MP could get the necessary 20% supporters Burham won at an early stage. On a positive note that meant no long drawn out leadership contest act various stages over the summer. Burham is PM, up and running and has taken the 10 point poll lead away from Reform UK, which for many is a good thing for the LP.

I can understand Labour Party members that didn't want AB as their preferred PM so wanted there to be more contenders that could secure more support than AB, so they could then choose their preferred candidate with a vote. Some have resigned - resigned their membership as a result in protest. I don't know how many members have left as a result of AB becoming PM or how many members have joined as a result of AB being elected leader of LP and how they compare however.

I'm not defending the Labour Party or any political party leadership contest rules- they are what they are.

Burnham would have won the leadership anyway, so the huffing and puffing seems counter productive to me. I suspect some on the left will leave, and new people who like the cut of Burnham’s jib will join.

I don’t see it as significant, because Starmer was not going to be able to become popular personally, the electorate made it very clear they didn’t like him, regardless of what he did. I’d prefer a Labour government to a Reform or Tory one, and I’m planning to bide my time and hope the Burnham government succeeds.

I agree Casdon- not sure how long the huffing and puffing will carry on and AB is certainly turning the polls around positively for the LP.

Casdon I didn’t suggest the Burnham coup played a part in Farage’s ‘fall from favour’. He’s clearly done that to himself.

I suggested the coup was ‘effectively timed’ to coincide with it.

Pleased to have made you laugh anyway!

MayBee70

Crossed posts Lizzie!

👍

Farage announced his ridiculous resignation on 7th July- way after Starmer announced his resignation on 22 June and just a couple of days before AB was elected as LP leader on 9 July.

Nothing effective in Farage's announcement timing that I can see apart from temporarily suspending his investigation during parliamentary summer recess. Bu ut his antics and his competition with his co contender Count Binface is definitely giving many people a laugh home and abroad 😅

LizzieDrip

Casdon I didn’t suggest the Burnham coup played a part in Farage’s ‘fall from favour’. He’s clearly done that to himself.

I suggested the coup was ‘effectively timed’ to coincide with it.

Pleased to have made you laugh anyway!

What did you mean by effectively timed, then LizzieDrip, if your implication wasn’t that it had something to do with Burnham?

Burnham again refusing to answer questions from the press during his visit to Derby. I think he’ll be in for a shock come September. The left wing of the party will be against any welfare cuts. The backbenches are full of disgruntled Starmer supporters and there are some big guns amongst them. Badenoch, after being on dodgy ground at one point is becoming an assured opposition leader gaining in confidence all the time.

I expect they will get over it MayBee70m if he delivers and Labour rise higher in the polls. Call me a cynic.