MM

[𝙋𝙝𝙞𝙡 𝙈𝙮𝙚𝙧𝙨 @PhilMyers53]

Keir Starmer is the best thing that has happened to the United Kingdom in a generation #TenYearKeir

[Rt Hon. Will || Portfolio for Sarcasm (parody) @colder_sarcasm]

Why is @Nigel_Farage silent on what appears to be Robert Jenrick's reckless decision to allow the Sudanese man arrested in Belfast last night, leave to remain in the UK in September 2023?

It appears that, in a desperate attempt to reduce backlog numbers, @reformparty_uk's "Shadow Chancellor" has put British lives at risk. Robert Jenrick must resign and be suspended immediately.

[Jennifer Stewart @JenniferJS_]

Outstanding insights from @TomSoede into @Keir_Starmer - who is super-smart, mild-mannered, has integrity & knows how to regulate his emotions; star qualities we see in other great leaders like Zelensky, Obama, Carney, Macron, von der Leyen, Pope Leo XIV.

[MM @MMspike56]

@DSL_MY @HeatherJLpals @andyburnham Labour members have the final vote in a leadership contest. And the present PM automatically has their name on the ballot paper. Ours is the vote that counts.

[Viviane: 🌹Labour led by Keir for me @LaindonFEMINIST]

The unknown factor in this Burnham urgency to stand as an MP and challenge our PM is the timing. Why would he do this less than 2 years in to a Labour Gov and when he’s promised his attention elsewhere?

Stinks doesn’t it?

[Viviane: 🌹Labour led by Keir for me @LaindonFEMINIST]

Good to see the TUC aren’t falling for Farage’s new ploy- Party of Workers - I should cocoa

[Kevin Schofield @KevinASchofield]

Culture secretary Lisa Nandy to fellow Labour MP Clive Lewis: “You don’t know our community, you’ve never been, and there is a breathtaking arrogance to talking about what communities think and feel when you’ve never met a single one of them.”
https://t.co/kBPrA6pDe0

[MM @MMspike56]

@Nigel_Farage Turkeys voting for Christmas!

[MM @MMspike56]

@JohnRentoul @jameskirkup Why? Does he want to rinse us again..?!

[MM @MMspike56]

@ChrisWickNews How?!

[Anne @Anniepop2027]

@LBC @jessphillips So disloyal. After his loyalty to you. Just because you were sidelined for your inaction not Starmer.

[Suzy Quiquero 🏆 @suzyquiquero]

He is just getting on with the job, can we stop this legacy nonsense?
https://t.co/Iz91w8P40X

[Viviane: 🌹Labour led by Keir for me @LaindonFEMINIST]

Some outstanding developments and announcements from our Gov in the last 24 hours. Nude images on phones, joined up services for those with multiple needs and faster justice by enhancing AI. Not many make the media sadly.

#DoingTheMediasJob
#FixingBritain
#LabourAchievements

[MM @MMspike56]

@JohnCrookes7 @calculus52 I'm sticking with Starmer!

[Joncro @JohnCrookes7]

Burnham sees himself as the Messiah. Most Labour supporters see him as Judas.

[Just me - Thomas @TomSoede]

Keir Starmer is stronger than people think

Something has shifted.

For weeks, parts of the media have spoken as if Keir Starmer was already halfway out of the door and Andy Burnham was already measuring the curtains in Downing Street.

But politics is not theatre alone.

It is pressure.
It is judgement.
It is government.
It is whether you can hold the room when everyone else is testing the walls.

And this week, Starmer did something important.

He made clear that he is not going anywhere.

Not through an anonymous briefing.
Not through an ally.
Not through a whisper to the lobby.

He said it directly to his Cabinet.

If there is a challenge, he will fight it.

And that matters.

Because Keir Starmer is a fighter.

He did not become leader of the Labour Party by luck.

He understands the Labour organisation, the party machinery, the MPs, the members, the unions, the pressure points and the discipline needed to hold it together.

And most importantly, he is not a commentator watching from the sidelines.

He is the Prime Minister.

Because leadership is not only about being popular in a media cycle.

It is about stamina.

Burnham may be a serious politician. I do not dismiss him.

But the more he is scrutinised, the more obvious it becomes that being a good communicator is not the same as being ready to run the country.

Fiscal rules matter.
Markets matter.
Cabinet discipline matters.
Party unity matters.
Delivery matters.

Starmer is not perfect.

But he is serious.

And after fourteen years of Conservative chaos, seriousness is not a weakness.

It may be exactly what Britain needs.

I may be wrong, but that is how I see it. What do you think?

[Mike H @mikoh123]

Mick Lynch on Reform & Restore ‘they are all as despicable as each other to me & working class people should turn away from the hatred they spread … you believe in isolating people & taking advantage of poverty so you can divide them & make your friends even richer.’
#newsnight

[Lyndy Mountain @LyndyMountain]

@BBCNewsnight @nicholaswatt Our PM Starmer has my vote 🌹

[Life, Love and the pursuit of toilet roll @Lifeloveandthe1]

@BBCNewsnight @nicholaswatt Maybe you should ask the Labour members what they want… and they want SKS

[Gordon Fielden @GordonFielden]

Does this change the optics in Starmer's favour?

I think it probably does.

Last Friday, Andy Burnham appeared on Newsnight and, for someone presenting himself as a potential Prime Minister, it was hardly a convincing performance. He struggled when questioned about Rachel Reeves's fiscal rules and, more importantly, did not appear to understand what those fiscal rules actually were. For a politician seeking the highest office in the land, that was a significant moment.

Fast forward a few days and Newsnight is now reporting that, during a Cabinet meeting, Keir Starmer made it abundantly clear to his ministers that he is going nowhere. If a leadership contest is triggered, he intends to fight it and intends to win it. The fact that this was said directly to Cabinet is important. It was not a briefing, a rumour or a comment from an ally. It was the Prime Minister setting out his position to his government.

There are also reports that some Labour MPs who had previously been sympathetic to Burnham are now becoming more cautious following his recent media appearances and the growing scrutiny of his policy positions. Whether that is a reaction to his Newsnight interview, concerns about the practicalities of a leadership challenge, pressure from constituents, or a combination of all three, the assumption that support for Burnham is growing inexorably appears far less certain than some commentators would have us believe.

At the same time, Burnham now appears to be stepping back from the idea of an immediate leadership challenge. We are told that, should he win the by-election, he intends to focus first on helping Labour retain the Greater Manchester mayoralty before considering any move against Starmer.

That raises a number of interesting questions. Burnham has repeatedly described being Mayor of Greater Manchester as the job he loved and the role he wanted. Yet if Labour struggles to retain that mayoralty after his departure, and Reform emerges as the main beneficiary, what does that say about his record and leadership credentials?

Meanwhile, Burnham has not won the by-election. No leadership contest has been called. Labour members have not cast a single vote. Yet parts of the media continue to write as though the outcome is already known.

Politics can change quickly. What looked inevitable a few weeks ago suddenly looks far less certain. The more scrutiny Burnham receives, the more Labour members, MPs and voters may begin asking whether he is really the answer to a question many of them were not asking in the first place.