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Andy! Burnham!

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Posted by: nickc

This is English politics TJ, you don't know what you're talking about. 

 

Nope, it's UK politics he would be UK PM..

So, erm, have a look in a mirror.

 


 
Posted : 24/06/2026 12:46 pm
 dazh
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Although this doesn’t bode well. Quite why Burnhams people thought Starmer would give up his summer holiday to help the people who kicked him out of his job is beyond me.

 

https://twitter.com/pippacrerar/status/2069709390601408997?s=46&t=LtLH_brmYFWrcPalxgEeWA

 


 
Posted : 24/06/2026 12:47 pm
 poly
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Posted by: dazh

Quite why Burnhams people thought Starmer would give up his summer holiday to help the people who kicked him out of his job is beyond me.

Burnham didn't actually directly trigger a leadership battle - he said he would stand if there was a contest, Keir repeatedly said he would contest any challenger and Streeting looked like he might be the one who controlled whether it all happened quickly or not.   Presumably though the reason Keir is been persuaded to step aside is he accepted that he can't win the next election and if he doesn't want to leave the door wide open for Farage then Labour need to do something to rescue the situation.  I'm not sure your summer holiday matters if you are about to be able to do what you want for the rest of your life instead.


 
Posted : 24/06/2026 1:11 pm
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Hang on, they’ve destabilised the Prime Minister, forced his resignation, persuaded any other challengers to step aside… but want the outgoing PM to choose to stay in the post for months not weeks?!? The obvious answer is to include people with government experience in the new government, ideally in departments they’ve worked in before. This isn’t the same as an opposition leader preparing for a new party to enter government… it’s still Labour that will be governing. Plenty of experienced hands available to Burnham.


 
Posted : 24/06/2026 1:16 pm
verses reacted
 dazh
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but want the outgoing PM to choose to stay in the post for months not weeks?!?

I’m no fan of Starmer but on this point I think he was well within his rights to tell them to f-off. If this is how Burnham is going to approach governing then he’s in for a shock. 


 
Posted : 24/06/2026 1:21 pm
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FT is reporting that Burnham wants to move some key Govt functions to Manchester
It's a paywall so I can't access it

 

 


 
Posted : 24/06/2026 1:22 pm
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Announcing that before the GM Mayoral elections would be a great move. 


 
Posted : 24/06/2026 1:24 pm
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Posted by: ElShalimo

FT is reporting that Burnham wants to move some key Govt functions to Manchester
It's a paywall so I can't access it

It's not a bad idea, the UK is massively over-centralised. Problem is that it's been tried before and it's not clear how we avoid a repeat of the massive Peel benefit that was the BBC moving to Salford.


 
Posted : 24/06/2026 1:30 pm
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suprised itsnot Morrisy

 


 
Posted : 25/06/2026 9:25 am
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This was an article in the Times on Saturday - if the article turns into reality I can't see much wrong with what I'm reading - especially on income tax...

IMG_6531.JPG

IMG_6532.JPG


 
Posted : 25/06/2026 9:30 am
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I'm not sure your summer holiday matters if you are about to be able to do what you want for the rest of your life instead.

He still has a job as an MP, unless he's resigning that too.

In other news:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cly81w5g1qwo

Trump probably won't like him. So that's good.

 

 


 
Posted : 25/06/2026 10:45 am
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Posted by: slowoldman

He still has a job as an MP, unless he's resigning that too.

 

I'd heard he was still planning on being a back-bencher. Nowt like your old boss staring at you while you find your feet! 🤣


 
Posted : 25/06/2026 10:53 am
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Posted by: the-muffin-man

Posted by: slowoldman

He still has a job as an MP, unless he's resigning that too.

 

I'd heard he was still planning on being a back-bencher. Nowt like your old boss staring at you while you find your feet! 🤣

 

Im sure he will. Why not take the cash. It’s not as if you have to attend or do anything for the salary until it’s election time. I don’t suppose Sunak does much for his MPs salary. I can only assume he does it for the networking and money making opportunities, it’s not lik3 he needs the salary

 


 
Posted : 25/06/2026 2:23 pm
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Posted by: chrismac

Im sure he will. Why not take the cash. It’s not as if you have to attend or do anything for the salary until it’s election time.

IIRC he gets a pretty good pension for being PM no matter what he does afterwards, although I do think he should still continue to represent his constituents at least until the next election.


 
Posted : 25/06/2026 2:31 pm
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Posted by: onehundredthidiot

Nope, it's UK politics he would be UK PM..

So, erm, have a look in a mirror.

It's a joke, you had to have been there really. 


 
Posted : 25/06/2026 2:37 pm
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although I do think he should still continue to represent his constituents at least until the next election.

He's also got a lot of experience that other MPs do not have. There is no reason that this could not be used, and used well, to make a Burnham government more effective. For example, Justice Secretary, where his experience as DPP would maybe make him really useful


 
Posted : 25/06/2026 4:09 pm
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 IHN
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Posted by: ratherbeintobago

massive Peel benefit that was the BBC moving to Salford

Explain?


 
Posted : 25/06/2026 4:20 pm
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What are we thinking of this?

 

 

Appointment of James Purnell, former chief executive of Flint Global, described by one Labour MP as ‘very bad sign

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jun/24/james-purnell-andy-burnham-pick-chief-of-staff-firm-bp-apple-amazon

 

Someone with good knowledge of commerce and with useful contacts or an industry shill meaning we remain in hock to neoliberalism?

 


 
Posted : 25/06/2026 5:52 pm
 DrJ
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 dazh
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Not a good start.

Probably not but no politician in the UK can be PM unless they have the backing of the Zionist uk establishment. Corbyn proved that. It’s no doubt the reason why young politicos with ambitions of power (like Burnham, Miliband, Starmer, Mandelson, Cooper et al) all align themselves with the usual zionist lobby groups from an early age. It’s a simple law of UK politics that you will never be PM unless you submit to the Zionist lobby.


 
Posted : 25/06/2026 8:44 pm
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well this is amusing, mahmoods plotting to keep her in job backfires

 

https://bsky.app/profile/thomasig.bsky.social/post/3mp574iqawk2w

 

 


 
Posted : 25/06/2026 8:51 pm
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If Mahmood keeps her job we will know for sure its "new boss same as the old boss".  She is utterly vile


 
Posted : 25/06/2026 9:00 pm
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Posted by: tjagain

Someone with good knowledge

I think they're mates aren't they?


 
Posted : 25/06/2026 9:09 pm
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Posted by: tjagain

She is utterly vile

agree with you there TJ


 
Posted : 25/06/2026 9:10 pm
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Andy aka turncoat Burnham 

 

https://bsky.app/profile/plasmatron.bsky.social/post/3mp3xkni3ak2z


 
Posted : 26/06/2026 2:51 am
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Not a good start.

Bad enough for me to be out already before he has even started.  If he does also keep Mahmood then I am doubly out.


 
Posted : 26/06/2026 7:29 am
pondo reacted
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So, is he already hated by the left and the right? And not even leader yet? Slow hand clap Britain…


 
Posted : 26/06/2026 8:34 am
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image.jpeg


 
Posted : 26/06/2026 9:08 am
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Posted by: somafunk

Andy aka turncoat Burnham 

Two mins of googling suggests hat he was not, in fact, a member of the Labour friends of Palestine. Which kind makes the whole "ooh, look, he's changed sides" narrative a bit, well; fake news.. 

Posted by: kelvin

So, is he already hated by the left and the right?

Well quite. But y'know purity and absolute red lines on a complex and constantly shifting foreign policy matter is what counts, not anything to do with competence or experience or vision or leadership, just who his mates are, and what group that they might have been in a decade ago...


 
Posted : 26/06/2026 12:50 pm
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We're going to see more names from the Blair/Brown years coming back to, or near, government I suspect... because, unlike Starmer, Burnham was in those governments and has contacts and allies from that time. Purnell is an obvious choice for Burnham... he knows him and he knows how government and some public sector big names work. At least it's not Mandelson.


 
Posted : 26/06/2026 12:55 pm
nickc reacted
 DrJ
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Posted by: nickc

purity and absolute red lines on a complex and constantly shifting foreign policy matter is what counts,

Just basic morality would be a start.


 
Posted : 26/06/2026 1:04 pm
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So, recognising Palestine, contributing to humanitarian relief, same stance as before on settlers. Just the same as when he was mayor of Manchester. 

Basic Humanity 


 
Posted : 26/06/2026 1:16 pm
 DrJ
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Posted by: nickc

So, recognising Palestine, contributing to humanitarian relief, same stance as before on settlers. Just the same as when he was mayor of Manchester. 

Basic Humanity 

Maybe that corresponds to your idea of "basic humanity". My bar is a little higher.


 
Posted : 26/06/2026 1:25 pm
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Posted by: nickc

Posted by: somafunk

Andy aka turncoat Burnham 

Two mins of googling suggests hat he was not, in fact, a member of the Labour friends of Palestine. Which kind makes the whole "ooh, look, he's changed sides" narrative a bit, well; fake news.. 

Posted by: kelvin

So, is he already hated by the left and the right?

Well quite. But y'know purity and absolute red lines on a complex and constantly shifting foreign policy matter is what counts, not anything to do with competence or experience or vision or leadership, just who his mates are, and what group that they might have been in a decade ago...

 

I guess we need some representation for an apartheid regime, especially given the latest report by those well known antisemites the U.N. 

 


 
Posted : 26/06/2026 2:03 pm
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An article actually expressing some optimism by Ian Dunt, which I'm sure we can agree has been in pretty short supply in this country for quite a while now

https://iandunt.substack.com/p/finally-someone-who-wants-to-reform-e10?utm_source=substack&publication_id=1833442&post_id=203689595&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=2gezxh&triedRedirect=true


 
Posted : 26/06/2026 3:29 pm
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Ian Dunt writing about an “outsider on the verge of power”?, now that’s very amusing from the columnist who’s never wrong describing Burnham as a “outsider”, Burnham has been mired into Westminster politics and the machinations of the Labour Party apparatchik for his entire political career 

 

I genuinely hope I am so wrong in my opinion on Burnham that I have to have a permanent signature at the bottom of all my posts stating that “I am an idiot and I should be treated as such” , we’ll see……… 😉 


 
Posted : 26/06/2026 4:05 pm
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So you didn't actually bother reading the article then?


 
Posted : 26/06/2026 4:14 pm
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Posted by: kelvin

So, is he already hated by the left and the right? And not even leader yet? Slow hand clap Britain…

Given the amount of shit being hurled at him from both sides including - which both surprised and disappointed me - Zack Polanski, my takeaway is that right now he has a lot of people very scared.

Which I think is a positive sign?


 
Posted : 26/06/2026 4:27 pm
nickc, ThePinkster, piemonster and 2 people reacted
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 IMG_0103.png

So you didn't actually bother reading the article then?

 

I tried to open it but it takes me to a black page where I have to choose at least 3 interests so I didn’t bother 

 


 
Posted : 26/06/2026 4:30 pm
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"And he is entering the estate as a complete outsider: with no power base, no loyalty to it, no tribal commitments, and a fairly limited degree of association with the party. Someone who really wants to change the Westminster system is finally in a position to do it"

Laughable.  He is a party machine man steeped in the party and with an entire coterie of backers and sycophants in and around the party


 
Posted : 26/06/2026 4:31 pm
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Posted by: Cougar

Which I think is a positive sign?

Not necessarily. He might just be halfway to crazy town.

Lets see who gets appointed to the various important positions. So far it isnt looking great.


 
Posted : 26/06/2026 4:31 pm
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He's seems pretty mild in his Israel position, tbh, but then anything less than rabid denunciations of Israel at every opportunity is too "zionist" for many. What matters, obviously, are his policies for the UK. Is he a bit left of Starmer or a bit right of Corbyn? More Left of Starmer, I think. 

I was surprised to see how many other recent PMs got the job in an uncontested leadership contest. Howard, Brown, May, Sunak. It's less unusual than I'd thought, but doesn't inspire confidence. 

Edit 

Given the amount of shit being hurled at him from both sides including - which both surprised and disappointed me - Zack Polanski, my takeaway is that right now he has a lot of people very scared.

Which I think is a positive sign?

That's surprising me too. Yes, probably a positive sign, but also worrying, like Labour and LW parties are in a bit of a meltdown.


 
Posted : 26/06/2026 4:31 pm
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interesting article Binners…

What’s he going to do if his MPs decide not to follow the whip? When his ministers don’t stick to the government line? If he’s saying those things were what shaped and framed him negatively when he was in parliament, and government, before… what happens when Labour MPs decide the same is true for them?

Laughable.

Broadly agree. While it might well be the case that his time outside Parliament has taught him much… painting him as an outsider to party politics is a laughable approach.


 
Posted : 26/06/2026 4:32 pm
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Posted by: benos

He's seems pretty mild in his Israel position, tbh, but then anything less than rabid denunciations of Israel at every opportunity is too "zionist" for many.

You phrase that as if it is derogatory to denounce the current state of Israeli governance?


 
Posted : 26/06/2026 4:39 pm
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