Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Back Keir's premiership and finish his mayoral term would be the wise course if Burnham wants to look like future PM material.

I can't see how running away from responsibilities he'd committed to, in order to run with the bigger boys, does him any good at all.

Killer Whale wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2026 7:52 am I can't see how running away from responsibilities he'd committed to, in order to run with the bigger boys, does him any good at all.

Agreed. It does all seem a bit Portillo and the phone bank.

Her tax investigation has been completed… how convenient.

I stand by the fact I wouldn’t vote for a single one of them. Frankly a bunch of snakes.

Anyhow a 0.6 growth jump, I do think keeping Reeves might be the wisest any of them could do. Of course they won’t mind.

mattomac wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2026 9:18 am Her tax investigation has been completed… how convenient.

I stand by the fact I wouldn’t vote for a single one of them. Frankly a bunch of snakes.

You've said exactly what I was just about to say.

mattomac wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2026 9:20 am Anyhow a 0.6 growth jump, I do think keeping Reeves might be the wisest any of them could do. Of course they won’t mind.

Yeah she's done as well as the rest of Western Europe on growth, inflation and raising funds for services. The employers NI rise might begin to drag things down, we'll see. The Iran effect will.

While I think the employers NI rise is sub-optimal, it's important to realize that it does raise a lot of tax. If an alternative chancellor is going to put the raise on a better tax, then fine. If they're just going to cut it, then that's not fine.

Rayner says she didn’t get any interest charge. If true, she’s played a blinder.

In other circumstances, that would clear the way for her to return to both her old jobs, as Deputy PM and Deputy Leader. What a waste of time these last few days have been.

Lucy Powell might have a say on that...

If Streeting does resign I'd offer her Health.

mattomac wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2026 9:18 am Her tax investigation has been completed… how convenient.

I stand by the fact I wouldn’t vote for a single one of them. Frankly a bunch of snakes.

Leadership's forged in crisis, Keir doesn't deserve to be PM if he fails to face down this rabble of chancers.

mattomac wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2026 9:18 am Her tax investigation has been completed… how convenient.

I stand by the fact I wouldn’t vote for a single one of them. Frankly a bunch of snakes.

To be fair, this non investigation forced her out of a very senior role - and Starmer will absolutely have said “look, you need to go because this looks bad”.

If it’s her choice as to when to release the information that she’s been exonerated - and into the bargain that means she could stand if Streeting decides to see how popular he really is - I can’t blame her for doing it at the optimum time for her.

Yep.

And pretenders are supposed to prove themselves in government.
Streeting can get on with phasing out NHS England. It’s a massive job. Come back to me when you’ve shown you can do it.

Meanwhile, Streeting looks like he may have a small issue with that leadership bid. Specifically, that he’s as popular as a cup of cold dog sick.

I always wonder whether or not the temperature of the cup of dog sick has any bearing on its relative popularity . Cold or warm - which is best ?

Crabcakes wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2026 12:20 pm Meanwhile, Streeting looks like he may have a small issue with that leadership bid. Specifically, that he’s as popular as a cup of cold dog sick.

Which wouldn't have been difficult for his backers to work out. Some of the unpopularity is unfair. He's not a mad privatizer that supposed heavyweight George Monbiot was suggesting the other day. (One wonders what people like this make of the rest of Europe's health systems). But he merits some of it. And he merits a lot more of it now after the last few days.

Youngian wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2026 11:39 am

mattomac wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2026 9:18 am Her tax investigation has been completed… how convenient.

I stand by the fact I wouldn’t vote for a single one of them. Frankly a bunch of snakes.

Leadership's forged in crisis, Keir doesn't deserve to be PM if he fails to face down this rabble of chancers.

All snakes in my view, sorry.... They've lost us the next election and as my dad said it could be the last Labour government. There are multiple ways of doing it....

Not one of those was followed for what seems now a way to scupper Burnham from running, they all seem like over energized children, I saw better behaviour at the NUS conferences I attended.

Strategic genius Streeting resigns as Health Secretary but doesn't launch a challenge.

Had Rayner not pissed about, she could have been right back in, to a top job in government, and everybody could have been getting on with the job.

I do wonder who will get health now...

It might be someone with a current lower position who is thought of as a possible leader. Bit like Major's rise.

Abernathy wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2026 12:26 pm I always wonder whether or not the temperature of the cup of dog sick has any bearing on its relative popularity . Cold or warm - which is best ?

At least warm is arguably a hot meal…

I suppose the question now is whether any more cabinet ministers follow Streeting out the door, and if so how many, to try to force Starmer to resign, in the manner of Boris Johnson. If that happens, I may well be ending my time as a Labour Party member, as I view that as unacceptable. If Keir sticks to his guns and fights off any leadership challenge that may yet come, from Streeting or others, I will stay in order to vote for Keir as leader.

But Labour absolutely must not emulate the worst period of the Tories’ rule in this.