Joe Pike

I report on politics for @BBCNews | Author of Project Fear - Books of The Year, The Guardian & The Independent | Story? DM or [email protected]

[Joe Pike @joepike]

Keir Starmer calls Reform’s policy on indefinite leave to remain “racist”.

And Andy Burnham’s arrival causes a stir at Labour conference.

Our @BBCNews report:

[Joe Pike @joepike]

NEW: No 10 confirms Keir Starmer uses ‘disappearing messages’ on his phone, but refuses to say whether messages to Mandelson were deleted.

Spokesman: “disappearing messages are permitted as long as use of them does not impact record keeping or transparency responsibilities”.

[Joe Pike @joepike]

Saturday Newscast with @bbclaurak, me, and ex No 10 comms director @James___Lyons:

https://t.co/RhGaDFhv7H

[Joe Pike @joepike]

This is a must watch:

[Laura Kuenssberg @bbclaurak]

WATCH TOMORROW!
9am @BBCOne and @BBCiPlayer

[Joe Pike @joepike]

NEW: Josh Simons is no longer the MP for Makerfield.

"The Chancellor of the Exchequer has this day appointed Joshua Cameron Simons to be Steward and Bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern."
https://t.co/TvI2NvdXiH

[Joe Pike @joepike]

On Wednesday, as Sir Keir Starmer stood in the House of Lords and watched the King read out the government's plan for the coming year, the prime minister's three biggest rivals within Labour were preparing their next moves.

Andy Burnham spent much of the day attempting to persuade MP Josh Simons, once a staunch ally of Sir Keir, to sacrifice his parliamentary career to help save Labour.

Wes Streeting was in Parliament with his closest advisers mulling whether he should quit the cabinet job as health secretary that he had coveted for years.

And that afternoon Angela Rayner slipped into a London hotel suite to secretly pre-record a TV interview about resolving her tax affairs with HMRC.

The following day, across 12 hours of political drama that weakened the prime minister, all three sprung into action.

Here’s what was happening behind the scenes:

https://t.co/6eSuB4k9rc

[Joe Pike @joepike]

On Wednesday, as Sir Keir Starmer stood in the House of Lords and watched the King read out the government's plan for the coming year, the prime minister's three biggest rivals within Labour were preparing their next moves.

Andy Burnham spent much of the day attempting to persuade MP Josh Simons, once a staunch ally of Sir Keir, to sacrifice his parliamentary career to help save Labour.

Wes Streeting was in Parliament with his closest advisers mulling whether he should quit the cabinet job as health secretary that he had coveted for years.

And that afternoon Angela Rayner slipped into a London hotel suite to secretly pre-record a TV interview about resolving her tax affairs with HMRC.

The following day, across 12 hours of political drama that weakened the prime minister, all three sprung into action.

Here’s what was happening behind the scenes:

https://t.co/6eSuB4k9rc

[Joe Pike @joepike]

How Rayner, Streeting and Burnham weakened the PM in 12 hours of political drama

My @BBCNews look inside a dramatic day:
https://t.co/Y223CqFAwd

[Joe Pike @joepike]

How Rayner, Streeting and Burnham weakened the PM in 12 hours of political drama

My @BBCNews look inside a dramatic day:
https://t.co/Y223CqFAwd

[Joe Pike @joepike]

NEW: Labour NEC has given Andy Burnham to stand in Makerfield by-election.

Timetable:

[Joe Pike @joepike]

NEW: Starmer loyalist and regular ‘minister for the morning round’ James Murray is the new Health Secretary.

Lucy Rigby takes his old gig as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

[Joe Pike @joepike]

Can Burnham win Makerfield?

Majority of 5,399. But the local elections were bruising for Labour in the region.

[Josh Simons @joshsimonsmp]

For decades, Westminster has overseen the managed decline of towns like mine. We have talked big, then acted small, stuck in a politics of incrementalism that cannot meet the moment. We have lost the trust of those our party was built to serve.

It is my unwavering belief that nothing short of urgent, radical, courageous reform will make a difference. That must start with a change in leadership.

Today, I am putting the people I represent and the country I love first and will be resigning as MP for Makerfield. I am standing aside so that Andy Burnham can return to his home, fight to re-enter Parliament, and if elected, drive the change our country is crying out for.

This has not been an easy decision. This is my family’s home, where only a few weeks ago, doctors and nurses at Wigan Infirmary saved our newborn son’s life.

But we all must make choices and in recent days I found myself with a difficult one: defend the status quo or step forward and act. I have made my choice.

I am in politics because politics is how you change lives for the better. My party has one last chance to do that: deliver for the people and places I represent, drive economic growth, secure our borders, reform our state and politics, and change a status quo that is not working.

That is the fight. I believe Andy is the one to lead it.

[Joe Pike @joepike]

NEW: Starmer’s letter to Streeting is conciliatory.

“I am truly sorry you will no longer be sat at the Cabinet table helping to transform our National Health Service. But I have no doubt you will continue to play an important role in our party for many years to come. I hope we can work together to show that Labour in power can address the problems our opponents exploit, can install hope where they want despair, and can bring people together where
they want division.”

[Joe Pike @joepike]

The Streeting strategy now seems to be getting his supporters to pile pressure on the PM to quit, and avoiding a vote of Labour MPs on whether to challenge Keir Starmer.

"We wait and see what Keir does", says one senior ally of the former health secretary. "There’s still a chance Keir goes of his own accord and sets a timetable and ends this chaos."

Supporters of Wes Streeting claim he has the 81 MPs needed to mount a leadership challenge. They also suggest more ministers could resign from government later today, although not necessarily at cabinet level.

[Joe Pike @joepike]

The closest precedent for a state opening going ahead with a PM teetering is surely January 1924?

The King's speech went ahead with Stanley Baldwin still in office, but surely knowing Ramsay MacDonald would soon take over.

Baldwin survived 10 more days.

[Joe Pike @joepike]

Streeting went through the door of Number 10 at 08:24 and left at 08:41. So that is actually 17 minutes.

Brief.

[Joe Pike @joepike]

Wes Streeting has left No 10 after just 18 minutes inside.

[Laura Kuenssberg @bbclaurak]

NEWSCASTERS! Your Sunday serving … https://t.co/xG2bREbFUN

[Joe Pike @joepike]

NEW: Cabinet ministers are ringing round Labour MPs to convince them to back the PM and block a referral to the privileges committee tomorrow.

Add the PM appearing at the PLP tonight and Gordon Brown’s new statement on all this, and you can sense real anxiety in No 10.

[BBC Newsnight @BBCNewsnight]

“This situation is going to really damage trust between officials and ministers”

Ex-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reacts to the Government’s handing of the Peter Mandelson vetting row: “We need our government to govern and when it’s dealing with this, that’s what it’s not doing.”

#Newsnight