Keir Starmer will not be the leader of the Labour Party at the next election!
That question seems to be settled. I’m not sure anything else is sorted, nor should it be. Why the rush into the unknown?
Everyone knows that Andy Burnham wants the job. Everyone knows that Wes Streeting wants the job. It seems clear that Andy Burnham would win a contest within the Parliamentary Labour Party. It’s not clear that Andy Burnham wants a contest.
Keir Starmer is considering his position.
This could get very messy
The only person that can really dictate the process is Keir Starmer and we really need for him to put his foot down….firmly!
Neither Andy Burnham, nor Wes Streeting, nor indeed any other candidate, is in any position to hit the ground running.
Starmer is the only one who can hold it together until they are ready
Starmer needs to accept that he’s going to have to handover when the successor is chosen and they’re ready to go.
There’s no reason that Starmer can’t invite all declared candidates to start the preparatory work before the contest begins. In fact, I think he should insist upon it. He should instruct his ministers to be completely open and give as much access as is possible.
The end of that process is the time for the party to choose the leader, and the party can test their readiness to take over.
I’m no longer a member, but I trust the membership far more than I trust the PLP.
collage of images – all creative commons from wikimedia.
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