General British politics discussion thread

Israel has way too much power over UK politics for any politician to come out against them in a meaningful manner. They all know that if they do, they'll be branded an "antisemite" and gone within a few months. So there's a delicate game to be played.

It would be nice to see someone with the balls tell it like it is with regards to Israel, but it's not going to happen until Britain learns to unravel Israel's grip on them.

I wouldn't be holding my breath waiting on that to happen any time soon though.

Trump claiming Starmer will resign

100%.

But if anything, Burnham's line that Gaza is too far from Manchester, shows how savvy a political animal he is by comparison to Starmer.

Keir Starmer is a decent man, an idealist, and a leading jurist. But as I've said in these pages before, he was never any sort of politician. He never had the qualities to keep all the policy plates spinning, while managing his party and his cabinet. He never had a reliable political nose for the conversation in Britain.

Burnham has all of that. And he is a person of pragmatism over idealism. Which is what Britain needs right now. It needs an economic plan which doesn't let the perfect become the enemy of the good. And it needs political stability to go with it.

Not sure this'll fly:-

Starmer expected to announce exit plan to clear way for Burnham to become PM | Keir Starmer | The Guardian

While other options remained open, Starmer and his inner circle began work on drafts of a resignation speech on Saturday, with the most likely timetable involving him staying in office until the autumn, allowing a new leader to rally Labour troops at the party’s annual conference at the end of September.

It is understood he will do so without having had a discussion with Burnham about his plan since the Makerfield result.

“Logically the best thing for both Andy and Keir would be for that to happen in September,” one cabinet minister said. “Andy has no team ready to go into Downing Street and needs the time to prepare. It would also allow Keir to establish a flight path to his departure.”

I can't see it. A lame-duck PM is bad enough, a zombie one is even worse.

Yeah but it was a few weeks I think - not 3 months.

Streeting will not be able to get 80 MPs to back him, unless Burnham instructs people to do so.

He will also likely lose his seat at the next election, unless he is leader in which case he may hold on.

There won't be a GE. If there were substantial signs of a turnaround by next spring, possibly then, but that's a very big 'if'.