When four ex-cabinet ministers split from the Labour Party in 1981 to form the SDP, they did so with the intention of ‘breaking the mould’ of British politics. This Gang of Four believed the Labour Party was on an irrecoverable journey down the Hard Left flank of British Politics. Veteran left-winger Michael Foot had just been elected leader, the Trotskyite Militant Tendency had successfully infiltrated the party, and Tony Benn was circling, waiting to steal the Deputy Leader

The parliamentary theatre that played out on the stage of Westminster last week, the kind this country has become so used to in recent years, has resulted in a strange and uniquely British political situation. The future direction of the government, the Prime Minister, the Labour Party and the country will depend on the votes of some 80,000 people in the suburbs of Wigan and its neighbouring towns. A by-election in the constituency of Makerfield should be a shoe in for the L

It is becoming increasingly apparent that Keir Starmer’s dismal time in office is coming to an end. Following historic losses in this month’s local elections, more than 90 Labour MPs have publicly called for his resignation and four ministers have resigned thus far. Wes Streeting has resigned as Health Secretary. Andy Burnham is getting ready. As Greater Manchester Mayor, the longtime favourite to replace Starmer still needs to get approval to stand in Josh Simons’ Makerfield

Over the past few months, Westminster has been gripped by an all too familiar kind of speculation. It concerns the election that will decide this country’s next Prime Minister. An election that most voters will not participate in, a potential Labour leadership contest. Murmurings within the Parliamentary Labour Party suggest that should the party perform poorly in May’s local and regional elections, pressure on Keir Starmer will intensify. Anonymous briefings have become a lo

In my capacities as Deputy Chair of Warwick Labour (a title I’m getting the most out of now, set to lose it as I am in the next week or so), I get to regularly engage with many an interesting Labour figure. It is, therefore, a testament to Mainstream’s National Coordinator, Luke Hurst, that I’ve penned an article inspired by a compelling talk he recently gave. Before getting to the crux of the issue, it has to be said that Hurst was a courteous and captivating speaker, and t

Over the weekend, Keir Starmer had to once again confront a problem in the shape of Andy Burnham . The issue was not really a new one for Starmer. In fact, by this point, talk of Andy Burnham angling for a seat in Parliament to challenge the Prime Minister has become a kind of political groundhog day. What was new this time was the fact that the problem before Starmer was no longer a hypothetical one, and Andy Burnham was - after months of speculation - attempting to make a

One of the newest episodes of the revived TV show Spitting Image , a stalwart of 1990s political commentary, made a parody of Home Alone . Instead of Kevin, it was Keir being left in Downing Street all by himself. The goons were replaced by Nigel Farage trying to break in. To be fair, he might have been coming to take a look at his next gaff. The episode asked a powerful question. How is it that a Prime Minister, elected with a landslide, is now a mockery, polling as the mo

Before he became the UK’s most famous metro mayor, Andy Burnham was just a regular politician, an MP. This Andy Burnham was a rather...

It’s been a brutal few weeks for the Labour Party. Starmer’s post-summer “relaunch” lasted all of 48 hours before the wheels fell off....