Watch along…
Team Burnham have been hit with rejection along their search for a seat for the King of the North. It’s never as easy as they make out…
Guido hears that Burnham’s operation approached former minister Josh Simons to ask for him to give up his Makerfield seat. They got hit with a flat no…
Burnham organisers – who count Deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell among them – are said to be bitter about the rejection. Makerfield in Greater Manchester is one of the safest Labour seats in the country and ticks all of Burnham’s wish list boxes. Simons has a current majority of 5,399…
Simons penned a Times column over the weekend calling for Starmer to go and for radical change. It contained some ambitious ideas of its own: “People are right to want the system torn apart.“ It looks like Simons believes he has more to contribute from within the Commons…
Burnham was in London yesterday to meet MPs after arriving in Euston station. Blue Labour supremo Dan Carden has also denied that he will give up his Liverpool Walton seat. So have other contenders Marie Rimmer, Charlotte Nichols, and Peter Dowd. Gossip points the finger at Navendu Mishra in Stockport. Westminster rumours continue to circulate over a potential job swap between ex-minister Jim McMahon and Burnham…
Burnham’s team have been tight-lipped so far on their hypothetical seat arrangements, though they have boasted that they can trigger the process for the Manchester Mayor to enter parliament as soon as today. The proof is in the pudding…
New polling from More in Common – the first from the pollster since the locals – has a nine point lead for Reform. 3,070 adults, with fieldwork from 9-12 May. Changes from 4 May. As the rickety coup continues…
Streeting was in and out of No10 in 16 minutes for his meeting with Starmer before the King’s speech. Barely enough time for a coffee…
There is some bemusement among government sources that this Wes-Starmer meeting was briefed as an explosive showdown summit when the coup-blocking King’s Speech is on the same day. No action on truce day…
Yesterday night government sources were predicting midday Thursday for a possible resignation. This ain’t over…
Eleven Labour-affiliated unions – including GMB, Unite, and Unison – are expected to release a statement today saying the government “cannot continue on its current path” and predicting Starmer will have to resign before the next general election. Dialling up the pressure…
According to the Guardian, the statement will be released “at some point” later today. The draft reads:
“Labour’s affiliated unions have been clear that Labour cannot continue on its current path.
“Whilst we recognise progress has been made, such as aspects of the Employment Rights Act and the increase in the minimum wage, the results at the election last week were devastating.
“Labour is not doing enough to deliver the change that working people voted for at the general election. Our focus is on the fundamental change of direction on economic policy and political strategy that unions have been clear is needed, and not on the personalities and unfolding political drama in Westminster.”
“It’s clear that the prime minister will not lead Labour into the next election, and at some stage a plan will have to be put in place for the election of a new Leader.
“This is a point where the future of the party we founded will be debated and determined – and we are working closely as unions to shape a shared vision on policy, political strategy and economic policy that will reorient Labour back to working people, so Labour do what it was elected to do: govern in the interests of workers.”
Starmer staggers on for another day, but the rickety coup continues. Streeting has his ‘showdown’ meeting in Number 10 this morning…
The British taxpayer spent almost £30,000 sending Labour’s Climate Minister to South America, where she enjoyed a full-day hike. Enjoy the jollies while you can…
Katie White went to Chile and Argentina at the end of March. Guido’s FOI Unit has obtained the full itinerary and costs from the government…
The minister, her private secretary, a policy official, and a press officer were all flown out for the trip with flight costs totalling £27,582.38. It was business class for everyone on the long-haul flights – including the press officer, who cost more on flights (£7,217) than the minister herself (~£6,131). Alongside medical and food costs the bill runs to a grand total of £27,582.38…
The glacier day hike was the only activity on Monday 23 March. The entire day’s itinerary is: travel to glacier, meet one person, do media, hike, film, come home. The deliverable for the glacier visit is literally listed as “climate-impact visuals, comms assets and a stakeholder map.” A whole day for social media content…
Every other “deliverable” is a meeting about having a meeting: “agreed officials-level exchange,” “scoping note for a joint abatement initiative,” “invitation to a UK-hosted technical workshop.“ Could have been a Zoom call…
Tuesday 24th included a tour of Quilapilún Park as well as a copper mine – which makes two days of walking around. No post-visit report has been produced nearly two months after the trip. It wouldn’t be long would it…
Read the full details below:
Paula Barker, Liverpool Wavertree MP backing Andy Burnham, told Times Radio there wouldn’t be trouble from the markets under Burnham:
“The markets will have to fall in line.”