Jonathan Reynolds underpriced as a Burnham chancellor. Spearheaded Labour's 'prawn cocktail offensive' in opposition. Performed well as business secretary, esp. on steel. Well-liked in the PLP and wider movement. Starmer was mistaken to move him off the political frontline w/ chief whip role

Since leaving office, Rishi Sunak has consistently argued that the absence of a full leadership contest in October 2022 weakened his position Coronations are quick and simple. But would Burnham not benefit from a contest, refining his programme and securing a mandate from Labour members?

“Perhaps the real power of the Makerfield by-election is that it allowed Labour to oust Starmer on its own terms. The Makerfield outcome obscures Nigel Farage’s claim that Starmer is his third prime ministerial scalp (after David Cameron and Theresa May).” www.politics.co.uk/news-feature...

Andy Burnham wields the knife, and wins the crown Some thoughts on the fall of Starmer and the definitive refutation of Michael Heseltine's famous maxim Latest for @politics.co.uk 👇 www.politics.co.uk/news-feature...

Makerfield must be the first by-election to directly trigger the resignation of a PM Eastbourne (1990) was a factor in Thatcher's defenestration, but didn’t itself set events in motion 1/...

🚨 Keir Starmer: “Every decision I have taken has been about putting the country I love first. “That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party. I have spoken to His Majesty the King this morning to inform him of my decision.”

I’m going to focus most of my social media posts on Bluesky and Instagram. I feel increasingly that X is no longer valuable as a journalist. You can follow me on insta @paulbrandtv - join me there too! www.instagram.com/paulbrandtv?...

“Labour MPs’ conceptions of what Andy Burnham means, politically, will now be pitted against each other. Every faction that rallied to Burnham’s ambiguous standard will want to see itself represented in the settlement that follows.” www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...

“A great deal was left unsaid during the campaign. But Burnham’s implicit message to Labour MPs was simple: if I can win Makerfield, I can win the country.” www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...

“Nigel Farage appears increasingly uneasy in the role of permanent political actor. The prospect of becoming prime minister is weighing on British politics’ perennial outsider.” www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...

The meaning of Makerfield As Burnham heads to Westminster, his principal problem is that all which was left unsaid during the campaign must now be articulated Latest long-read for @politics.co.uk 👇 www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...

Some thoughts on Andy Burnham and the meaning of Makerfield for @politics.co.uk www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...

Dan Jarvis appointed as new defence secretary

Wow. John Healey resigns as defence secretary “I am being forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our Forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations, and could make the country less safe.” Letter in full here 👇 www.politics.co.uk/news/2026/06...

“For too long we have reached for a cities-first playbook – as though towns exist to serve the economies of nearby cities rather than to drive their own”, writes @leighinghammp.bsky.social 🗣️ The government must buy British, build British and back British www.politics.co.uk/mp-comment/2...

Little remembered that in the dying days of the 2005-2010 parliament, Brown attempted to force legislation through parliament requiring a referendum on the alternative vote by October 2011 Brown referred to a “progressive consensus in favour of change” - www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... 1/…

The relevant political point here is that Reform chaos – the public spats, problematic candidates, the distinct lack of professionalism when it comes to vetting and policy – increases the perceived “risk” associated with the party 1/...

Reform’s Makerfield meltdown continues today, as the party scrambles to establish whether its candidate backed Brexit - which it previously emphasised as a wedge issue this campaign - while a public split erupts between the “shadow home secretary” and “shadow chancellor” on migration policy

Reform’s messaging all over the place in Makerfield A consequence of the by-election’s novel character but also strategic confusion over how to tackle Burnham + Lowe’s Restore Britain (which looks set to play some part in the story) + a weak/poorly vetted candidate

After foreign secretary Patrick Gordon Walker’s 1965 by-election defeat, Willie Hamilton criticises his party “We must not take the electorate for granted… “This by-election was little more than a crude attempt at ballot rigging and I do not defend that” www.politics.co.uk/news-feature...

Patrick Gordon Walker’s 1965 defeat is a cautionary tale for Andy Burnham www.politics.co.uk/news-feature...

In Makerfield, if Burnham does stand, he is the change candidate + “get Starmer out” candidate + the stop Reform candidate Too early to make predications - and the local elections were dire for Labour in the area - but that is a powerful combination. And does not account for brand Burnham 1/…

🚨 Breaking: Josh Simons to stand down as MP for Makerfield so Andy Burnham can run for parliament

We now have Starmer’s response to Streeting’s resignation letter PM writes: “We must deliver on all of the promises we made to the country, including our promise to turn the page on the chaos that was roundly rejected by the British people at the last general election.”

🚨 BREAKING: Wes Streeting resigns "Where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift. This was underscored by your speech on Monday. Leaders take responsibility, but too often that has meant other people falling on their swords."

So Streeting’s choice is either to trigger a leadership contest he cannot win, or to effectively stand down as a diminished political figure Brandishing a banana would, at this point, probably have been the more dignified option

A successful stop-Streeting candidate in a race with no Andy Burnham will need to unite those currently behind Starmer and soft left types John Healey is one that appears to fit that profile Would win lots of second preference votes in the membership stage if there are multiple candidates

Zubir Ahmed resigns Ahmed was a PPS in the Department for Health and Social Care (July 2024 - September 2025). Then appointed to parliamentary under-secretary of state in the department in September 2025 Streeting plot afoot

Sky News reports that Jess Phillips has resigned Letter 👇

There have been two formal challenges to a Labour leader in recent history, in 1988 and 2016 (both in opposition). In each case, the incumbent survived So it’s not hard to understand why Keir Starmer is choosing to stay put ... 1/

Jenny Chapman, the international development minister, to BBC News:

Starmer plays the process card. Despite focus on the 81 MP threshold, prime minister rightly tells cabinet that nothing has been triggered under Labour rules, daring MPs in general, and Wes Streeting specifically, to challenge him 1/.

🚨 Miatta Fahnbulleh is the first ministerial resignation

Keir Starmer is ‘listening’ to rebel colleagues, says ‘sad’ cabinet ally www.politics.co.uk/news/2026/05...

Signal Starmer is fighting after reported cabinet visitation New PPS appointments:

A leadership contest without Burnham involved would be a source of immense instability. That is Streeting’s obvious incentive of course, but is it really tenable if a large proportion of the PLP view an election on these terms as somehow illegitimate?

Another PPS quits

🚨 Breaking: Starmer suffers first resignation as calls to quit grow www.politics.co.uk/news/2026/05...

Labour's lack of an efficient regicidal apparatus is telling at the moment An ousted Boris Johnson referred wryly to his party's “brilliant Darwinian system”. Under Conservative rules, Starmer would be gone - which explains Catherine West posturing as a latter-day Sir Graham Brady 1/...

Keir Starmer’s “we got the big political choices right” line sounds a great deal like the chosen defence of Boris Johnson’s supporters in 2022

Rayner not following her obvious incentive to move now and best Streeting is further evidence, I think, that soft left sentiment has coalesced around Burnham How does this now play out? 1/…

“This is bigger than personalities, but it is time to acknowledge that blocking Andy Burnham was a mistake.” Angela Rayner says Starmer must ‘meet the moment’ – statement in full ⤵️ www.politics.co.uk/news/2026/05...

The stalking horse returns... What does the 1989 challenge to Thatcher's premiership from “Sir Anthony Whats’isname” tell us about Starmer's test? www.politics.co.uk/news-feature...

The most detailed profile yet of the MP who could bring down Keir Starmer. (And a taster for a much larger Politics.co.uk project in the works) West, who left her Foreign Office role in September, currently serves as trade envoy to Pakistan (appointed January 2026)

Starmer ally calls for prime minister to resign www.politics.co.uk/news/2026/05...

Vibe/gimmick appointments intended to nourish the Labour soul that misunderstand the mood of the parliamentary party, not to mention the country

“We need to be ambitious about disabled people working… We need to be ambitious in ensuring we have a country that works for everyone”, writes @stevedarlingmp.bsky.social 🗣️ The government has a proven lever for growth in its hands – it’s called Access to Work www.politics.co.uk/mp-comment/2...

“By dismissing the socially conservative streak of the movement as an aberration, we risk alienating the very heartlands we should aspire to represent”, writes @connornaismithmp.bsky.social 🗣️ Why Blue Labour is a key component of True Labour www.politics.co.uk/mp-comment/2...

[email protected] with the rebuttal: “Blue Labour isn’t a Tory-lite infiltration. It is a reminder that work is a vocation, not just a contract, that relationships matter more than abstract rights and that patriotism is a valid expression of solidarity”

Not insignificant. Johnson was elected in 2000 as among the first Green MLAs. He stood as the Green London mayoral candidate in 2000 & 2004 He was also the Green male principal speaker from 2001-2003, before backing the current leadership model in the Green 2007 internal referendum