Mailwatch(ed) Forum

The Weeping Angel wrote: ↑Sun Jan 25, 2026 12:03 pm He's been blocked.

I think this is a mistake. But it's clearly not just some hardcore of "Starmer loyalist" who's annoyed with Burnham.

Abernathy wrote: ↑Sun Jan 25, 2026 12:20 pm

Samanfur wrote: ↑Sun Jan 25, 2026 12:15 pm

Abernathy wrote: ↑Sun Jan 25, 2026 12:08 pm Apparently the vote was 9-1 against Burnham, with Lucy Powell the sole vote in favour.

Shabana Mahmood abstained.

Routine, as she was chairing the meeting.

Cheers. I wasn't aware.

Another by-election win for Reform in a safe Labour seat, one presumes. Unless Polanski makes an arse of himself in the campaign, or they select someone else who does.

Polanski will stand and will praise Mayor Burnham's leadership as a Mancunian who puts the good of his city above petty tribal politics.

Statement from the NEC.

He may not.

I don't think he'll stand himself. His recent brainfarts on NATO have attracted too much criticism, and there's already a Green with a bit of a local profile. Melanie Earp (nee Horrocks).

Confirmed.

He's not going to risk losing, which he would. The Greens have been building a fair head of steam lately and coming a distant third in a by-election will endanger that.

Provided he doesn't make an arse of himself, he's on a win-win. The rules seem to be that he can say what he likes about Starmer, but Starmer saying anything back at him is completely unfair because that's "siding with Farage". I hope Starmer gives it both barrels to Polanski and Farage on security.

I already feel sorry for the Labour candidate. It'll likely be someone with a solid local record, but they'll just get called "Starmer's poodle" whatever they've done locally. There's also a not very pleasant bunch of media people on hand to make out that by-election candidates for the big two parties are the worst ever. Sometimes, like Maria Hutchings in Eastleigh for the Tories, there's something in that, but often they just get buried under antipathy to national politicians.

others in the party condemned the decision as paranoid and unlikely to shore up Starmer’s position.

“No 10 have chosen factionalism over what is in Keir’s interest,” one Labour source said. “What on earth is their plan if we lose the byelection and Wes [Streeting] goes for it?”

I have no idea what the logic of this is.

Streeting can "go for it" any time he wants. This doesn't depend on the presence or absence of Andy Burnham in the PLP. One thing Burnham can do, inside or outside the PLP, is immediately tell Streeting to stop pissing about.

From memory, Burnham was the epitome of Blairism. Now he's the Left's great hope. Hmmm.

The Health policy in the 2010 manifesto was very much in favour of using private health, not just for waiting lists. As he was the Health Secretary, it's reasonable to suggest he had considerable input to it. That may or may not be good (I'm not the biggest NHS die hard around) but it's not a million miles away from Starmer/ Streeting/ Alan Milburn/ Streeting's Dodgy Donors and all the rest of it.

What's Polanski's route to parliament if he doesn't fancy his chances in a by-election against a Labour stitch-up candidate in his home city?

davidjay wrote: ↑Sun Jan 25, 2026 1:48 pm From memory, Burnham was the epitome of Blairism. Now he's the Left's great hope. Hmmm.

Burnham was the first minister to address the growing problem of funding elderly social care and wasn't afraid to back Theresa May when she raised it. May paid a high electoral price when Corbyn era Labour campaigned on opposing 'death taxes' (a US Republican slogan).

Youngian wrote: ↑Sun Jan 25, 2026 2:17 pm What's Polanski's route to parliament if he doesn't fancy his chances in a by-election against a Labour stitch-up candidate in his home city?

Somewhere more similar to Brighton.

davidjay wrote: ↑Sun Jan 25, 2026 1:48 pm From memory, Burnham was the epitome of Blairism. Now he's the Left's great hope. Hmmm.

The charge sheet includes*:
Served in Blair's government. = Nazi
Voted for Iraq = war criminal
Privatised the NHS = Tory
Member of Labour Friends of Israel = supports genocide

*according to Zarah Sultana

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Sun Jan 25, 2026 1:37 pm

others in the party condemned the decision as paranoid and unlikely to shore up Starmer’s position.

“No 10 have chosen factionalism over what is in Keir’s interest,” one Labour source said. “What on earth is their plan if we lose the byelection and Wes [Streeting] goes for it?”

I have no idea what the logic of this is.

Streeting can "go for it" any time he wants. This doesn't depend on the presence or absence of Andy Burnham in the PLP. One thing Burnham can do, inside or outside the PLP, is immediately tell Streeting to stop pissing about.

It wasn't 'No 10' it was the NEC...

Indeed. And clearly not all of them are people concerned only with Starmer's welfare.