Category: UK Labour Party
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The Politics of the Quick Fix. After two weeks of frantic Prime Ministering the Announcement Machine finally fell silent as Andy Burnham went on holiday. Thankfully this also put a temporary stop to the pubs-and-footie tik-toks. So there’s that. (Kate Devlin & Millie Cooke, The Independent, 7th August 2026 “Minister forced to deny Andy Burnham…
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There are few more dramatic backdrops than the White Cliffs of Dover. They have become the visual shorthand for Britain’s immigration debate. Standing there this morning, the Prime Minister promised to take stopping the boats seriously, because he understood that the public took it seriously too. There’s a case for saying that Shadow Home Secretary,…
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Definitely better at Tik-Tok, not sure about “governmenting.” Every new Prime Minister inherits two jobs. One is to govern. The other is to convince the country that governing has already begun. Andy Burnham’s first week suggests that modern politics has become better at announcements, but worse at delivery. Following Andy Burnham’s coronation as King of…
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When Hope Meets Government. Politics increasingly rewards reassurance before reassurance has been earned. Every incoming leader needs to offer hope, but optimism eventually has to meet reality. Burnham’s imminent arrival in Downing Street and Trump’s handling of Iran illustrate two thankfully very different implementations of this wider phenomenon. The Reassurance of the New It is…
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The Commons said farewell to Sir Keir at PMQs, but the Chamber had been dominated over the previous week by the completion of the “Hillsborough Law”, discussion of the Immigration & Asylum Bill, triggering of the Clacton by-election, reflections on the murder of Anne Widdecombe and exasperation with the haphazard conduct of the US-Iran War…
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One word kept recurring this week: capability. Andy Burnham promised a Government with a worked-through plan. Nigel Farage attempted an extraordinary tactical reset through a by-election. Donald Trump alternated between negotiations and military escalation in the Gulf. Different countries, different politicians, but all confronted the same question: Can they actually do what they say they…
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The Commons seems to be spinning its wheels without direction or purpose. Impassioned speeches asking difficult questions are routinely ignored. Motions asking for urgent action are passed unanimously with no suggestion of any Governmental response. The Member for Makerfield has been absent from the benches, as has the Prime Minister. The train chugs on serenely…
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O tempora, o mores! Politics can change mood remarkably quickly. Only a fortnight ago Westminster revolved around Sir Keir Starmer’s increasingly fragile premiership. Today the conversation is dominated by Andy Burnham’s promise to govern differently, decentralise power and establish a “No. 10 of the North”. The atmosphere has undoubtedly changed; whether Britain’s underlying problems have…
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The House has already moved on – reflecting the mood in the country quite accurately. Sir Keir is done, the Member for Makerfield is most notable by his absence and his avoidance of questions. The House thunders on, but now, at a time where there are real and significant problems, the Commons feels that is…
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TWOP was ready with a battery of analysts to cost spending commitments, accountants ready to estimate tax effects and a “scoop” of commentators. No need. We might as well have watched the cricket. The speech can be summarised surprisingly succinctly. A Burnham Government would: Those who really do like the detail may like to check…
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plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose The political week started a lifetime ago with the appearance of “The Podium” in Downing Street on Monday morning as Sir Keir admitted what had become clear to just about everyone else, that the alea had been quite definitively iacta’d. Starmer Exit Chronology Monday 22nd June 10:30am:…
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To say that there has been a sea-change in the environment in the Chamber is something of an understatement. The Labour benches are taken up with self-positioning for preferment under the Member for Makerfield’s likely new Ministry, while the Tories are obviously saving their most explosive ammunition for the time when the King of the…
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Well, we look to be running about 30minutes ahead of TWOP’s predicted schedule.Another prediction: the PM will announce some sort of election process rather than a simple handover to the King of the North. There always has to be “a process.” No decisions, just processes and that has been Sir Keir’s most significant political problem.…
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“Everything is Just Fine” said absolutely no-one Despite the imminent arrival of the King of the North, the tendency for politicians of all stripes to insist on their easily disproved “successes” simply increases the palpable sense of disgust with the entire political class the world over. One imagines precipitately dropping approval ratings for King Andy…
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In the course of campaigning for Makersfield Burnham announced that if he displaces Starmer to become PM he would remain bound by Labour’s 2024 manifesto, but his “Manchesterism” has featured a stronger inclination to state intervention than the Starmer-Reeves positioning. Burnham’s platform relies on Manchester’s relative success under his mayoralty (2017-’26.) Supporters argue that the…
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With the PM off on holiday at G7 in Évian-les-Bains, DPMQs featured a new Conservative challenger, Claire Coutinho (East Surrey,Conservative) Shadow EngNZSec, taking on the deeply unenthusiastic David Lammy (Tottenham, Labour) DepPM. Wednesday 17th June Resignations to right of them, resignations to left of them… (with apologies to Alfred, Lord Tennyson.) Mrs Coutinho, perhaps predictably…
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One of the defining characteristics of governments in difficulty is not that they make mistakes. All governments make mistakes. The defining characteristic is panic. Difficult decisions are postponed. Problems accumulate. Then events force action and politicians rush to demonstrate decisiveness. Whether the resulting policies are effective becomes secondary to the need to appear active. This…
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John Healey’s resignation is a seismic moment in the collapse of Keir Starmer’s government. HM Treasury’s “victory” of reducing financial commitment to upgrading the nation’s defence is at the expense of the Prime Minister’s continuing “leadership”, such as it was. Healey’s resignation is terminal for Starmer and must be the most serious ministerial resignation since…
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The Commons has a strange “end of term” feel about it. Strange because not even a month has passed since the King’s Speech marked the shiny new legislative ambitions of a new Parliamentary session and just 23 months in to a Government that was elected with a landslide 174-seat majority. But it definitely feels “over”,…
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This last week has provided several reminders that trust, once lost, is difficult to recover. While President Zelensky launched audacious drone attacks on St Petersburg, HMS Prince of Wales returned to port in Norway for more repairs (Navy Lookout, 30th May 2026.) While the Government insisted that all relevant documents relating to Lord Mandelson’s appointment…