Polls have opened. Labour is bracing for a car-crash set of results, with this morning’s papers stuffed with leadership manoeuvring, union rebellion, and Number 10 plotting new ways to keep Burnham out of Parliament. Absurd Ofcom rules will prevent the broadcasters from covering any of this properly for the entire day…
The final YouGov MRP puts Labour third in Wales, third in Scotland and on 17.9% nationally, behind Reform on 25.3% and barely ahead of the Tories. Fuelling talk of how to shove Starmer out the door…
The Times reports a Wes Streeting “shadow team” is lining up MPs, working up policy with think tanks and bagging a former Starmer SpAd to coordinate the campaign. The Guardian says Sadiq Khan is weighing up whether to join calls for change. Although that might jeopardise his peerage…
Leaders of all 11 Labour-affiliated unions hold a private call at 5pm on Friday to chew over the results. One general secretary tells the Telegraph Starmer “needs to go“. Starmer plans to fight on with a “policy blitz” – finally dumping the manifesto – and a speech next week pitching closer EU ties as the cure for the cost of living and the way to save his premiership. As Guido reported yesterday, that would be his 30th reset. Labour activists have been warned not to cry on camera when the results come in…
Speaking to Adam Boulton on Times Radio about kicking the Golders Green suspect, Heidi Alexander said:
“I thought that if I was in the shoes of that police officer, then if I’m honest, given the situation, and the fact that he had a backpack on his back, and they were worried about whether that might go off, I could, if I was a police officer, frankly, I could see myself having taken similar action.”