27/05/2026
Column in this weeks local press
Well it has certainly been a turbulent few weeks in politics, particularly for this Labour government.
First the Prime Minister was engulfed in the Mandelson scandal of his own making - there will be more to come on that when they finally get round to releasing the files, which could be terminal for his job as PM. That is if he has not already been replaced by then, by the self-styled ‘King of the North’ Andy Burnham.
After less than two years Labour have gone in on their own PM, with a cabinet minister and several ministers resigning - and other cabinet and junior ministers among the 100 Labour MPs calling for him to set a timetable for his departure, including two Cumbrian Labour MPs
Polling of Labour members shows that, of the 400+ Labour MPs in Parliament not one of them would beat the hapless Kier Starmer in a leadership challenge.
That tells us their talent pool is as shallow as a puddle.
The fact the Labour are failing in government is clear and obvious, but for that message to be coming daily from within their own ranks emphasises just how inept they have been.
Wes Streeting. Leadership contender and a high-profile member of Labours top team until recently, was quoted as saying they came into government without a plan and did not know what they were doing (who knew?!).
It is an incredible admission, but it is reflected by their lack of direction, which has been typified by multiple U-turns by a leader who had displayed those traits from the outset. When seeking the leadership he pandered to left, only to abandon them when it became politically advantageous. He believes in nothing more than self-preservation, but he appears to be running out of road.
For a party that claimed the grown ups were back in charge and a manifesto that made 38 references to ‘ending the chaos’, they have descended into total chaos, and left the country virtually ungoverned while they wait the arrival of their Mancunian messiah.
Burnham, it appears, is using the Kier Starmer campaign playbook of telling everybody what he thinks they want to hear, and already in week one has made up to five screeching U-turns on previously stated positions.
This was clearly demonstrated at the Labour Conference last autumn he was unequivocal in his desire to rejoin the EU, last week he changed his mind and said he was not advocating rejoining, and he would respect the referendum.
But we know that is just for the by-election, and he’ll go running back to the EU in a heartbeat once he has the position he’s coveted through his political career.
He also pledged to take his promised increase in defence spending out of the fiscal rules. which caused panic on the Bond Markets. But again last week he changed his mind.
So if he plans to stick to the fiscal rules and not borrow to fund his promised spending splurge, where is the money coming from? It certainly won’t be from cutting the welfare bill, Labour MPs have shown they won’t allow it, it will be added to the burden on already highly taxed working people.
He will be just another piper playing the same miserable tune.
