Mailwatch(ed) Forum

mattomac wrote: ↑Tue Nov 11, 2025 11:01 pm What even is this…

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y0z2q2g2ro

Just seems they’ve come out and overly defended him and in the process made him look weak. Probably best thing for Labour would be a large brush if that took Starmer fair enough but some of that team around him would go as well.

Also not sure how Haigh can even see herself as leader. Wes (and I’m not a fan) has the least number of issues.

It's very similar to this article.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... SApp_Other

Downing Street has launched an extraordinary operation to protect Keir Starmer amid fears among the prime minister’s closest allies that he is vulnerable to a leadership challenge in the wake of the budget.

Starmer’s most senior political aides warned that any attempt to oust the prime minister over tanking poll ratings would be a “reckless” and “dangerous” move that could destabilise the markets, international relationships and the Labour party.

They insisted that Starmer would fight to retain the leadership in any contest that followed a challenge, either immediately after the budget or, more plausibly, following defeat at the May local elections.

A bitter row broke out after No 10 sources said they had grown increasingly concerned over speculation among MPs that Wes Streeting could be planning an imminent coup against the prime minister – a move fiercely denied by the health secretary.

Someone's having a breakdown.

Why would a usurper want the anger of tax rises and other bad medicine on their desk?
Starmer and his team's inability to sell good news to a miserable nation might be is undoing but give him some time to pile up some good news for a sunnier candidate to sell.

Yeah, I think that's right. And it's why I find the "Streeting to take over in June" stuff to be very implausible. It's very unlikely that the budget after this one is going to be a "giveaway budget", and you won't yet see services improving much.

mattomac wrote: ↑Tue Nov 11, 2025 11:01 pm
Just seems they’ve come out and overly defended him and in the process made him look weak.

Also not sure how Haigh can even see herself as leader. Wes (and I’m not a fan) has the least number of issues.

Yeah, I think that's it. You get asked all the time about this stuff, then somebody goes a bit far, and it's "paranoid Number 10" or "must be a big threat to Starmer".

Haigh has no way back to the front bench, let alone leadership, with a fraud conviction. Nobody's going to believe that someone from her background couldn't get hold of legal advice so pleaded guilty to something she didn't do.

Streeting isn't going to win a leadership election either.

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Wed Nov 12, 2025 10:03 am Yeah, I think that's right. And it's why I find the "Streeting to take over in June" stuff to be very implausible. It's very unlikely that the budget after this one is going to be a "giveaway budget", and you won't yet see services improving much.

There are plenty of good initiatives which the present government is failing to relay. They can be repacked by a future leader with better sales skills.

The Tories arguably demonstrated that changing to a new Prime Minister every 9 months was really not such a great - or effective - idea. The Corbyn debacle demonstrated that attempting to remove a Labour leader who is palpably shit and leading the party to electoral oblivion (this was true of Corbyn, but is emphatically not true of Starmer) doesn't work, is also not such a great idea, and is also a good illustration of why Labour generally does not depose its leaders/PMs. .

The sooner this particular Westminster bubble is pricked, the better

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Wed Nov 12, 2025 10:10 am

mattomac wrote: ↑Tue Nov 11, 2025 11:01 pm
Just seems they’ve come out and overly defended him and in the process made him look weak.

Also not sure how Haigh can even see herself as leader. Wes (and I’m not a fan) has the least number of issues.

Yeah, I think that's it. You get asked all the time about this stuff, then somebody goes a bit far, and it's "paranoid Number 10" or "must be a big threat to Starmer".

Haigh has no way back to the front bench, let alone leadership, with a fraud conviction. Nobody's going to believe that someone from her background couldn't get hold of legal advice so pleaded guilty to something she didn't do.

Streeting isn't going to win a leadership election either.

The problem is they've made things worse.

Just seen a clip of Nick Watt on Newsnight acting like over-excited trainee reporters who think they've discovered the new Watergate through their 'sources.'
Political journalists have had 15 years of Tory governments handing a weekly psyco drama on the plate but are now straw clutching because they're suffering from withdrawal.
Or maybe we're all wrong and Streeting is plotting because he's really crap at politics.

Loads of fun and a great way to fill the space - make something up, wait for the denial, and go "Ooh, touched a nerve!".

Youngian wrote: ↑Wed Nov 12, 2025 10:22 am
There are plenty of good initiatives which the present government is failing to relay. They can be repacked by a future leader with better sales skills.

I agree, I don't know if you follow "Warren Oates" on Bluesky. Sometimes it's a bit too sunny, like Black Lace singing Do the Conga, but it's useful stuff. There's a lot that even we don't hear about which could be brought together.

Youngian wrote: ↑Wed Nov 12, 2025 11:02 am Just seen a clip of Nick Watt on Newsnight acting like over-excited trainee reporters who think they've discovered the new Watergate through their 'sources.'
Political journalists have had 15 years of Tory governments handing a weekly psyco drama on the plate but are now straw clutching because they're suffering from withdrawal.
Or maybe we're all wrong and Streeting is plotting because he's really crap at politics.

Nick Watts not a teenybopper either. This stuff is typical BBC. There's not really any point in having knowledgeable correspondents, as they often do, if this is the level of Newsnight.

Kemi's attacked the "toxic culture" in Downing Street. This increasing a meaningless phrase.

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Wed Nov 12, 2025 12:23 pm Kemi's attacked the "toxic culture" in Downing Street. This increasing a meaningless phrase.

It's a phrase well past its use-by date.

I'm not sure the Tories can lecture anyone on toxic No. 10s nor the problem with toxicity in general, given they seem to want to create a toxic Britain in which only 'tough common sense' types get to say anything.

It's a useful phrase for eg a racist police department. Some people who think someone else could be a better leader isn't really it.

The problem seems to be with the very people who have put this out, probably the same people who put out that Ed Miliband is going be sacked every five minutes.

Like the BBC some at the very top are working hard to destroy it.

That's funny because I can remember Cameron being a terrible PM, and what was this project of intellectual renewal? The Big Society.

And no banging on about Europe.

And no u turns or scandals involving Ministers either.