Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Malcolm Armsteen wrote: ↑Mon Jan 26, 2026 12:36 pm From a good comrade:

My disappointment is that AB threw his hat in the ring in the first place and the fact that he did does diminish him somewhat. There’s nothing wrong with a politician being ambitious - there isn’t one born who isn’t in some way or another, myself included - but a statesman knows when to make a move and when not to. AB is only 55 and has plenty of time to get back into Parliament and make an impact AFTER he has finished his term as Mayor. I also find it chokingly amusing that the hard left are crying foul for someone that they would otherwise perceive to be an absolute dyed in the wool Blairite. It’s a funny old game, but one that really needs to be taken a damn sight more seriously bearing in mind the threats to democracy posed by the likes of Trump and his ICE thugs, a blueprint that Farage would love to import to our shores. The media, and in particular the rightwing press are driving all the talk of a leadership challenge to Starmer purely because they want something to write about and the fact that we have an actual grown-up in Downing Street who is making a difference. They also conveniently overlook the fact that unlike the Tories, the Labour Party has no formal mechanism to remove a leader and we have never done so!

Couldn't agree more with this spot on assessment. I don't have an aversion to Burnham so have found his antics last week disappointing to say the least for someone who aspires to the top job.

Burnham and Lucy Powell always came across as centrist left MPs, I would see myself as soft left and I always felt they were to the right of me. Also considering how Powell didn't win by as much as expected I would wonder if the Labour party membership is as volatile as Andy believes it is.

I voted for Andy and I don't have an issue with him but the timing and the talk of leadership just puts me off its all a bit "he who wealds the dagger".

Labour can hold on for 3 more years to replace the leader now would be foolish especially if some of this growth and borrowing continue to play in their favour. As others have remarked the press wants to be sports journalists with every result bringing a heightened sense of invincibility or doom.

Also oddly heard of no whisper of it being a white middle aged straight male again.

This is, ladies & gents, brilliantly perceptive and absolutely on the money. Do have a read.

https://philipstephens.substack.com/p/f ... y/comments

Lots of sense, but I'd not promote Streeting, least of all to Chancellor. Reeves is fine. And I don't buy that he's some sort of totem for reforming government. He put off social care reform for years, and is trying to hide behind cross-party agreement. There's something to be said for that on some issues, but Brown and May found there's not much of that about.

Burnham accuses No 10 sources of lying about byelection decision
Manchester mayor suggests claims he was told Labour would not give him permission to stand were untrue

I'm rather impatient with this "Andy the ingenu" stuff. He's been around long enough to be capable of making a couple of phone calls. Perhaps somebody could ask him whether he did, and what they told him about the likelihood of being accepted was?

We keep hearing from him about how important devolution is. Either being a regional mayor is important in its own right, or it's something that can be given up, less than half way through, if there's a chance of advancement in central government.

I'm a spear carrying nobody and I knew the NEC was going to block Burnham's nomination.

Agreed. Burnham must have known full well he’d not get a green light from the NEC to go for the Denton by-election but still fucking went for it. His intention can only have been to stir up shite. I’m now reading that he has rejected a suggestion from Starmer that he could go for a possible future by-election in North-West England towards the end of his mayoral term in late 2027, when the mayoral electoral system will have changed and the party will have had time to select a strong candidate to fight the mayoral by-election. Burnham also says he wants to have another go at a future parliamentary by-election, but only if he can be sure he’d not get blocked from running again. What an arrogant prick.

The only reason he'd object to that is that he thinks Labour will have changed leaders before then, when he won't be around.

With all due respect to him, I don't think he'll be joining Denis Healey, Michael Hestletine and co on the list of "Best Prime Minister We Never Had". If he could time travel and compete in the 1976 Labour Leadership Contest, I don't think he'd get far.

Abernathy wrote: ↑Tue Jan 27, 2026 5:36 pm Agreed. Burnham must have known full well he’d not get a green light from the NEC to go for the Denton by-election but still fucking went for it. His intention can only have been to stir up shite. I’m now reading that he has rejected a suggestion from Starmer that he could go for a possible future by-election in North-West England towards the end of his mayoral term in late 202, when the mayoral electoral system will have changed and the party will have had time to select a strong candidate to fight the mayoral by-election. Burnham also says he wants to have another go at a future parliamentary by-election, but only if he can be sure he’d not get blocked from running again. What an arrogant prick.

Were you to post that BTL on the Grauniad, you'd get torn a new one by the commentariat. I see both Jones and Toynbee are saying "new leader, please"...

Yes, I was rather disappointed with Polly’s take. I’m usually in agreement with her.

Jones, you expect it. But Toynbee was a surprise.

Initially I harboured some doubts about blocking Burnham but the more I read/hear from the people who think it was a bad decision, the more convinced I become that blocking him was the right option, I'd go further it was the ONLY thing to do.

I think Burnham has probably done his own reputation a lot of damage, he's shown himself to be a liar and treated the voters of Manchester and Gorton and Denton with contempt.

The mayoralties are pretty good roles in that you get to stand in front of new trams or buses or whatever, tangible evidence that you're making a difference on your own patch. Ministers don't really have that. For everyone who sees Heidi Alexander standing next to a new train, there will be dozens who think "Where are our trains round here, Heidi?"

Next time Burnham does that, I think he's going to get questions of the "you don't even want to be here, do you?" And for once, that won't be cynical Westminster media talk.

Oboogie wrote: ↑Tue Jan 27, 2026 6:49 pm Initially I harboured some doubts about blocking Burnham but the more I read/hear from the people who think it was a bad decision, the more convinced I become that blocking him was the right option, I'd go further it was the ONLY thing to do.

I think Burnham has probably done his own reputation a lot of damage, he's shown himself to be a liar and treated the voters of Manchester and Gorton and Denton with contempt.

I'm with you. I was probably naive to imagine him settling down to a supporting role where he'd boost the government with his presentational skills (where he'd be useful).

I was probably naive to imagine him settling down to a supporting role where he'd boost the government with his presentational skills (where he'd be useful).

A reasonable assumption but the media would report a new real or imagined psychodrama and tittle tattle every fucking week about leadership rivalry.
Like Badenoch over Jenrick, it's not just supporters who have conceded the PM made a decisive right move.

Burnham still pissing about, just to keep the story going a bit further into the by-election campaign. It wasn’t close, Andy. You lost 8-1.

I've noticed more and more people BTL on the Guardian are getting pissed off with him now.

From "King In The North" to Gresley P2 no. 2001

His latest is that he tried to reassure the Prime Minister he wasn't any sort of threat. One of the reasons he had so many people egging him on was precisely because he was some sort of threat. If he weren't, he'd have served his term with a view to becoming an MP in 2028-9.

Boiler wrote: ↑Thu Jan 29, 2026 12:49 pm I've noticed more and more people BTL on the Guardian are getting pissed off with him now.

From "King In The North" to Gresley P2 no. 2001

Yeah I noticed this in some comments on the various social media platforms.

He's lost a lot of love with his professional northerner schtick, and now he looks disloyal and ego-driven...