DM
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Together, we will build a stronger and fairer Britain.


Keir Starmer granted a stay of execution by Cabinet - but for how long? The Times’s weekend read as the Labour Party rips itself apart over his leadership * The cabinet is in a state of paralysis, with ministers despairing but none of them - at this stage at least - prepared to go over the top. * Their reticence is in part due to circumstance. Wes Streeting said to be ready to go but does not want to be first mover. Angela Rayner does not necessarily command support of soft left. Andy Burnham stranded, for now at least * It is delicate. The Times disclosed on Thursday that Ed Miliband, the energy secretary who is supportive of Burnham, had privately suggested that Starmer should set out a timeline for his departure a fortnight ago but had been rebuffed. * Cabinet ministers privately say results are shocking but seem to be clinging to the idea that changing leader won’t improve fortunes. One said Starmer has got to ‘improve and show the best possible version of himself’. Another said ‘Starmer has got to change but we have got to change as well’ * Cabinet ministers think the results are so bad there is no guarantee Andy Burnham can make a comeback now in the event of a by election. “After today it’s crackers to think that Andy can easily win a by-election, come back to Westminster, get eighty MPs to back him and then win a leadership contest,” they said. “Those are very, very high hurdles to clear.” * But for many MPs and people in government Burnham is the solution. “Our party is dying and sick,” one government source said. “Thank God the NEC blocked the one MP who polls as having unique Green-Reform crossover appeal.” * There is a growing schism between Labour backbenchers and the cabinet, publicly and privately. One backbencher branded ministers ‘pathetic’ and said they were only loyal because they wanted to cling to their jobs. It’s feeding into the WhatsApp groups, where MPs are directly confronting ministers * Does Starmer have another gear to go to? The pressure around his speech on Monday is huge, but the PM is still bound by his manifesto red lines. The fiscal constraints mean there are inherent limitations to what he can do * “The results are absolutely shocking,” one cabinet minister said. “Voters have cut us off at the knees. Starmer has to change. It is very clear that voters like our policies but he is not generating a sense of optimism or showing that we are up to the scale of the challenge.” * Angela Rayner poised to make an intervention this weekend. How far will she go? As of last night she wasn’t expected to go for Starmer personally - she was going to talk about the direction of the party. But given where so many of her friends and colleagues are will that hold? thetimes.com/article/a4acc3…

NEW: Harriet Harman has been appointed PM's adviser on women and girls as he tries to use the next few days to shore up his position Number 10 says it's part of Starmer's plan to 'set out next steps to build a stronger and fairer Britain in the coming days'









