Already Keir Starmer's would be successors are showing comparable levels of decisiveness and competence.
First Wes Streeting backtracks from an outright leadership bid and calls for a contest instead. In the meantime, he quits, depriving the government of one of its most able ministers in one of the most crucial departments. I agree with Kemi: he would have been better staying and doing his job.
Then the MP for Makerfield (no I hadn't either) stands down to give Andy Burnham a shot. At the General Election, Labour was polling 34% nationally, Reform 14%, and Greens 6.9%, and this is the Makerfield result:
- Labour 18,202 (45.2%)
- Reform 12,803 (31.8%)
- Conservative 4,379 (10.9%)
- Libdem 2,735 (6.8%)
- Green 1,776 (4.4%)
Labour are now polling at 18%, the Greens at 16% (mostly at the expense of Labour and a bit from the Libdems), and Reform at 28%. There has been a 15% swing from Labour to Reform, and Makerfield only needs a 7% swing to get a Reform MP.
The 'King of the North' (speak for yourself Manchester, Yorkshire rules itself) will most likely find himself with no throne. Burnham will get burned. If I were a Burnham sceptic on the NEC I would let him stand, and he will join Streeting on the 'almost but not quite' list.
