General British politics discussion thread

It's one of Labours safest seats, Burnham is relatively local (OK, he's Scouse but has represented Manchester so there's no element of parachuting), and having the (potential) PM as your MP is quite a cachet for any constituency. He also seems to be a well-regarded Mayor.

I think he'll win it relatively comfortably.

Watching an interview with Zack Polanski yesterday and he sounded open to the idea of Burnham becoming Labour leader. It would raise the prospect of a left wing or 'soft left' alliance at the next general election as a counterfoil to the mooted Reform UK - Badenoch led Conservatives coalition.

Would be interesting to see too what sort of a cabinet Burnham would have: at the moment it seems totally dominated by right wing, Israel friendly Starmer types. Would he purge them and start bringing in more left leaning ministers like Rayner and Miliband to key positions?

Certainly not ahead of the general election, but that could rapidly change once the results are in. If no party is even close to an overall majority, then alliances would have to be formed - this already looks a strong possibility, a coalition government of some description.

About this by-election - the people in Makerfield might not take too kindly to being "used" by what could be seen as personal ambition on behalf of Burnham?

AND the fact that there MP, Labours Josh Simons whom they elected has to an extent disregarded the electorate that voted him in in the first place by relinquishing the seat they gave him?

Am I correct in saying there are 2 ex labour seats up for grabs now - the above and Burnhans seat in Manchester? Is that another by-election? And then a new lord mayor needs to be sorted?

Big sacrifice for Simons throwing away his political career

What does he get beyond hopefully knowing the right man is leading Labour?

@Loafing Oaf Yip - and now that he has done this surely marks his card going forward? What electorate would trust him going forward, if at some stage he runs again?

Could Burnham - IF he gets through and challenges and wins - offer Simons some sort of cushy position? ( even though he is not an MP anymore )

Thanks again @Strazdas - Could one argue that labour could lose the Mayor of Manchester position which in of itself, though not an MP position would still be considered the loss of a useful position of power that labour had.

Yes. Not giving up the Manchester Mayoralty was the 'official' reason why Labour HQ refused to allow Burnham be the candidate for the most recent by-election in Denton.

An 81 year old Makerfield resident on James O Brien LBC there .. voted labour all her life as did her family going well back. Completely distraught - she feels all this Burnham stuff is DISLOYALTY and is very angry. She is of that view - "wind your neck in all challengers". And is also of the view - due to this DISLOYALTY, that REFORM will win this by-election in Makerfield

Having done a quick check on Simons' background, it seems that he's on the right of the party, worked for some fairly dodgy organisations with no interest in the working man or woman. Reading between the lines he is exactly the sort of person that Nathanyahoo would like.

If a person like this gives up his seat in parliament in an act of apparent self-abnegation, you can be sure that the person he is doing it for is cut from a similar mould (and he will have received a series of promises about his future too). As a result, I wouldn't expect Burnham to do anything different from Streeting or Stormer. Labour is being sold a turd here.

That referendum was held over a decade ago & Scotland voted to stay in the UK in order to stay in the EU. How did that work out?

That's fair enough in as far as it goes, but it's sound politics for Polanski to be polite about Burnham, as he's looking to capture his voters rather than antagonise them!