POLITICS CORNER

[Stanley]

See THIS......
Labour MP Catherine West has said if a cabinet minister does not challenge Sir Keir Starmer as party leader by Monday, she will attempt to trigger a leadership contest herself. In an exclusive interview with the BBC, she said her preferred option would be for the cabinet to "reorganise themselves" and put forward their "best communicator" to replace Sir Keir, avoiding a leadership election. But speaking after devastating election results for Labour, West said she was putting the cabinet "on notice" and if she did not hear from a leadership hopeful by Monday she would ask Labour MPs to back her to trigger a contest. For this to happen, 20% of Labour MPs – 81 people – would have to back her. West, a former junior Foreign Office minister, said she currently had 10 MPs prepared to back her in a leadership bid but she was "confident" enough people would come forward to trigger a contest. "My preferred option is for the cabinet to do a reshuffle within itself, where there's plenty of talent, and for Keir to be given a different role, which he might enjoy, perhaps an international role," the MP for Hornsey and Friern Barnet told Radio 4's PM programme. "Then for others to come to the fore who can communicate the message, who are very able, so we can have minimum fuss."

[Stanley]

See THIS account of Starmer's desperate attemts to regain authority and control of the Party....
3 hours ago
Sir Keir Starmer is to promise bolder action to tackle "big challenges" facing the country, as he battles to persuade his MPs not to ditch him as Labour leader. The prime minister will seek to reset his premiership in a speech on Monday, after heavy election losses left him facing renewed calls to quit. Growing numbers of Labour MPs went public with calls for him to go over the weekend, with potential challenger Angela Rayner saying the party needed to do more to appeal to voters whose living standards had been squeezed. It comes as backbencher Catherine West said she could try to trigger a leadership contest in the wake of his speech.
Angela Rayner has warned that Labour faces its "last chance" after heavy election losses this week, as she backed Andy Burnham to return to Westminster. In a statement following Labour's disastrous performance at the polls, the former deputy prime minister said the party had been wrong to block the Greater Manchester mayor from standing as an MP earlier this year. Rayner, seen as a potential contender to replace Sir Keir, called on him to "meet the moment" with bolder action to make people feel better off. She did not launch a leadership challenge herself, but her intervention will add to pressure on the embattled prime minister, who will try to shore up his premiership in a speech on Monday. In her first public comments since Thursday's elections, Rayner called for Sir Keir to take more action to tackle inequality and "squeezed living standards". In her 1,000 word statement, she called for Labour to offer regional mayors more economic powers, raise the minimum wage, and be "unafraid to promote new forms of public, community and cooperative ownership across the board". "We are in danger of becoming a party of the well-off, not working people," she added. "What we are doing isn't working, and it needs to change. This may be our last chance."

[Whyperion]

Baroness Harriet Harman was appointed as the UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls on 8 March 2025.

So far , to me , nothing noticable about things like womens rights and equality reported as improving in places like Afganistan or Iraq / Iran.

[Whyperion]

Kings Speech etc.
Nationalisation of British Steel - should have been done years ago with supply and tariff problems.
Tourist Tax authorisation for urban mayors - we really do not need complexity and more (inflation increasing) taxes, hotels etc pay business rates as it is.
Removal of Planning Permission for on street electric vehicle charge points - probably not a good idea, but a simplification of planning and zoning for them when installed by private companies or local authorities is needed.
Bill to restrict some benefits, including banning under 22s from claiming incapacity benefits. Great lets kick the seriously unwell - have Labour really got the message that fairness in society is needed ?
Water regulation - bringing Ofwat , Environment Agency and others together into one body in England. Seems sensible but the number of rejigs we have had over the years on rivers, canals , foul water management , flood management and drinking water supply is bewildering and seems intent on yet another reshuffle of management , perhaps this one might actually work.
Expecting reporting from businesses over 250 employees of pay to disabled and ethnic groups , this seems intrusive and while a noble aim , totally unnecessary.

[Tripps]

The pressure is growing on the prime Minister. Sky say there will be another MP joining the list of those calling for his departure every 15 minutes all evening. It's at 56 now. I don't think he wants to go - to put it mildly - he may have to go nuclear and say he will call a general election.
That will concentrate minds. If he does quit - it may get worse for them. The succession will messy, and there is no one of sufficient stature to cope .

Did you see the late result from Hartlepool Council Election Result #LE2026:

RFM: 12 (+12)
LAB: 0 (-7)
CON: 0 (-4)
IND: 0 (-1)
Council Now: RFM 15, LAB 15, IND 6.

No wonder they tried to get the whole election cancelled.

I'm rarely rght, but I think he will survive.

[Stanley]

I have to differ David.... I think there are too many senior figures who have made up their minds. It looks to me as though we are going to get Andy Burnham shoe horned in and that will take some time, I'd guess at three or four months.
Listening to Starmer telling us that he was not going to damage the Party by resigning reminded me of IDS and the infamous 'quiet man' speech.

I wrote the above before opening the BBC political feed.... HERE'S what I found....
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is among cabinet ministers calling for Starmer to set out a timetable for his resignation. It's understood there are splits in the cabinet over calls for Starmer's departure and Mahmood is in the minority. Tuesday promises to be an extraordinary day, but today has been one as well, writes the BBC's Chris Mason. It comes after six Labour MPs were replaced as they called for Starmer to resign or set out a timetable for his resignation. Earlier, he insisted he would prove "doubters" wrong, adding his government had made mistakes but "got the big political choices right". Labour backbench MP Catherine West backed down from her threat to trigger a leadership challenge against Starmer - but called on him to go by September. Pressure has been mounting on Starmer over his party's disastrous performance in elections across England, Scotland and Wales last week
I think it's possible that those opposing a swift removal might be doing do to create enough time to get Burnham out of his mayoral job and into Westminster....

[Tripps]

I'm rarely rght, but I think he will survive.

It looks to me as though we are going to get Andy Burnham shoe horned in and that will take some time, I'd guess at three or four months.

"Body bags" Burnham (see S. Staffs Health Authority) is on the move. He has just taken the train to London. I just skimmed through his wikipedia page. I didn't realise he has stood for leader twice before, and been well beaten both times - by Ed Milliband and Jeremy Corbyn.

If his latest attempt takes four months - where does that leave the governance of the nation?
In a bit of plight I'd say. Starmer would be the lamest of all ducks.

If you want some entertainment and don't take it all too seriously - checkout Oldham Council. The Big Meeting is on 20th of this month. Get the popcorn ordered now - there will be a rush on it.