Scott

Senior Labour source: “Andy has started a coup against Keir and then demanded Keir slow down the coup until such a time as Andy knows what he’s doing.”

Keir Starmer’s place in history is assured. We owe Keir a debt of gratitude for taking Labour from its worst electoral defeat in 2019, bringing Labour back into government with a huge majority in 2024 and then guiding Britain through difficult times nationally and globally.

@darrenpjones @calculus52 I hope you stand as a candidate for the Labour Leadership.

I was proud to stand on Downing Street with the Prime Minister this morning. And I’m proud of the Britain that this Labour government is working to deliver - a country where power, wealth and opportunity is shared amongst the many and not the few. Keir Starmer brought our Labour Party back from the brink into government after 14 years in opposition. He did so because the public trusted us on the economy and on national security, and because they voted for our manifesto. My party mustn’t forget the lessons of our successive defeats, and must remember why and how we won only two years ago. Whatever happens next, we can be grateful for Keir Starmer’s leadership and the work his government has done to put Britain back on a path to a brighter future. We wish Keir and his family all the best for what comes next, and remain forever grateful for what he has done for my party and for our country.

Starmer was hated. Says far more about the electorate than the man. Impossible to govern when people want welfare, triple lock, tax loopholes, NIMBYist vetoes, while also hating the low growth, high debt economy this entails. Starmer was a good man leading an ungovernable country

@AndyBurnhamGM All of the same problems await you in government, mate. For our sakes, I hope you have a plan and know what you're doing. You and your loved ones will be fine regardless, but it's us who'll be left holding the baby if you fail.

Oh my goodness, it was SO hard to say goodbye to everyone at the GMCA. 🥹 Thank you all for everything. I have loved working with you and will miss you so much. 🙏🏻 You couldn’t have given me a better leaving present! 🙌🏻 🐝🐝🐝

Well, there we have it. Keir Starmer has announced his resignation and has set out the process by which a new leader will be chosen. For the time being, I suspect he will remain in post until that process has concluded, as is normally the case. Now, however, the real backlash begins. Those who supported the mandate secured in the 2024 General Election must now start organising, building support and demonstrating that there is an alternative path forward. Darren Jones appears, to many, to be the most credible alternative to Andy Burnham. He comes with a much cleaner record, no significant scandals, no major failures attached to his name, and has consistently been regarded as articulate, balanced and capable. Most importantly, he has shown that he can take on Reform and any other political opponent in a serious and effective manner. That will be the key question in the weeks ahead, should he decide to stand. My advice to Labour members would be not to tear up your membership cards just yet. You will have an opportunity to make your voices heard. However, if you oppose Andy Burnham's candidacy, you should make that clear to your MPs and to those involved in the process. The Labour Party needs a genuine contest, one capable of producing a leader with a clear mandate from the membership. Darren Jones could credibly argue that he is continuing the mandate secured by Keir Starmer, having been part of the team that worked to deliver it. Andy Burnham, by contrast, was not part of that project and therefore has much more to prove. There may well be other candidates who choose to put themselves forward, and they should be heard. At this stage, however, Darren Jones appears to be one of the strongest contenders and one of the least burdened by political baggage. If Andy Burnham were to win the leadership, I believe the pressure for a General Election within six to eight months would become overwhelming, and Labour would face a very real risk of electoral collapse under his leadership.

Russia is still bombing Ukraine and Ireland is still helping them with raw materials. It’s a scandal that’s still received almost no major international coverage. So a huge thanks to @Telegraph for having me on to talk about the scandal at the Aughinish refinery 🫡

@wesstreeting Well I never! Wes Streeting thinks he can work in a Government led by Burnham. Absolute shocker! As if this wasn't the concocted plan all along.

@KayBurley Media pressure has caused this. It put the frighteners up the new and left wing of Labour. Many people would have buckled to the pressure before now.

Starmer resigns. Just what the country needs from a PM who was elected with a thumping majority just two years ago. I expected more from him.

A man of dignity in an age of indignity. Thank you @Keir_Starmer for your service to our country. You didn’t deserve this.

Fuck Burnham for absolutely ruining Labour's chance to givern for a full term. Also to blame: Lisa Nandy Wes Streeting Jess Philips Al Carns Louise Haigh Josh Simons Luke Charters And many more selfish, uncaring unpatriotic bastards.

It can take many leaders years to grow into the statesman you became in just two years. European and Ukrainian security is stronger because of you. Thank you, dear Keir.

@BBCNews now calling for Andy Burnham to resign.

I was very close to resigning my @UKLabour membership just now but will wait for 9/7 if there is a coronation for the usurping Richard III of Manchester then I will resign then if not so long as someone other than Streeting stands against Burnham I will stay and vote for them

It is crucial for the future of @UKLabour that there is a contest and that @UKLabour are given the opportunity to elect a woman

Come on then @wesstreeting if you have the 81 stand against Burnham - he almost certainly doesn’t and never did have . He will always be remembered together with @joshsimonsmp as a traitor and not the “ most faithful of the faithful “

I'll wait until the new leader is announced and then bin my membership regardless of who wins. We are becoming an increasingly unserious democracy. If Burnham can walk into No. 10 without a vote being cast - freshly returned to Parliament after a decade away - how is that democratic? It is worse than Brown, May, and Sunak, who were at least active MPs at the time. The law needs to change so that a change of Prime Minister automatically triggers a general election. Perhaps that would force political parties to actually do their jobs and find a way through in the future.

@politixintheuk Is that a MAGA hat, Chris?

It's all fun for these BBC rats. Meanwhile, millions of ordinary Brits are going to suffer because these rats helped create the chaos.

"How on earth have have we ended up in this position?" asks Laura Kuenssberg, who along with Chris Mason, Henry Zeffman and co, have pushed long and hard for us to wind up in exactly this position #bbclaurak #BBCBreakfast