Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has indicated he would prioritize transforming the UK's social care system if he became Prime Minister, criticizing Westminster's reluctance to address difficult policy issues. He proposes accelerating the Casey review and exploring funding mechanisms like a 'care levy' to address the crisis.
Andy Burnham's political philosophy, 'Manchesterism,' emphasizes deindustrialization, social housing, and public control of essential services. This approach, drawing parallels to The Smiths' song 'London,' contrasts with past Labour leadership bids and positions him as an outsider with concrete ideas.
Director Ken Loach has accused a new socialist party, co-founded by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, of squandering an opportunity to unite the left due to infighting. He drew parallels to his film 'Land and Freedom', highlighting how divisions contributed to defeat.
Jeremy Corbyn draws parallels between his own experience of a Labour leadership coup in 2016 and Keir Starmer's current challenges, offering advice on navigating political crises and potential successors.
Jeremy Corbyn drew parallels between his 2016 leadership challenge and Keir Starmer's current struggles, reflecting on the personal toll of political coups and offering advice on navigating party dissent and potential leadership bids.
Prime minister will try to convince Labour MPs to back him after suffering major election losses last week Good morning. The news this morning is full of speculation about whether or not there will be a Labour leadership contest. A better way of explaining the situation might be to say that a leadership contest is already under way; Angela Rayner issued what was in effect her manifesto late yesterday afternoon (although she also hinted she would be happy for it to be delivered by Andy Burnham as leader), and Keir Starmer delivers what you could see as a hustings speech this morning.Leaders can survive challenges. In 1995 John Major was widely seen as doomed, but Michael Portillo postponed a decision to stand against him, Major easily saw off a challenge from John Redwood (the Catherine West of his day, in some respects), and Major survived another two years. In 2016 the vast majority of Labour MPs voted no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn, but he survived (because he was adored by Labour members, a benefit that Starmer does not enjoy). In 2006 Tony Blair accepted he would have to go. But he was allowed to work his notice for a year; Gordon Brown and his allies were powerful enough to force him out, but not to force him out quickly.To meet the challenges that our country faces, incremental change won’t cut it.On growth, defence, Europe, energy – we need a bigger response than we anticipated in 2024 because these are not ordinary times. Continue reading...
Replacing a leader is difficult, as Jeremy Corbyn proved – but MPs can apply pressure, publicly or privatelyMany Labour MPs believe Keir Starmer will not survive as Labour leader for long enough to fight the next election. What they cannot agree on, however – even after a disastrous set of results in this week’s elections – is how his departure might come about.The Labour rulebook makes it notoriously difficult to unseat a party leader: none has been formally ejected in the postwar period, though some, including Tony Blair, have resigned under pressure from their own MPs. Continue reading...
Jennie Formby, former Labour general secretary (2018-2020), has defected to the Green Party, becoming the latest senior ally of Jeremy Corbyn to join Zack Polanski's party. Formby cited Labour's alignment with corporate sponsors and broken promises under Keir Starmer as reasons for her departure. The Greens have seen membership surge from 68,500 to 220,000 and poll at 16%, up from 10%, after shifting focus from environmental issues to economic policy including tax increases and workers' rights.
