Josh Self

Catherine West has threatened to launch a leadership bid that could topple the prime minister. The Labour MP issued a momentous intervention after her party’s drubbing in the elections this week. On Saturday afternoon, West called on the cabinet to “reorganise themselves” and put forward their “best communicator” to replace Starmer. Speaking to BBC News... Read more »

A prime minister under not inconsiderable political pressure faces a leadership challenge from an obscure backbench MP posing as a proxy for more prominent pretenders. These words accurately describe the political landscape Keir Starmer, Britain’s incumbent embattled premier, faces after Catherine West announced her plan to launch a leadership challenge. West’s plan, hastily organised in... Read more »

Angela Rayner has criticised what she calls a “toxic culture of cronyism” in a 1000-word statement issued after this week’s local elections. Rayner, who resigned as deputy prime minister in September 2025, has called on the Labour Party to “live up to our name: we must be the party of working people.” She further warned... Read more »

Keir Starmer has suffered his first resignation as the calls for him to step down as prime minister grow. Tom Rutland, a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, issued a statement calling for Starmer to quit. A PPS acts as an unpaid parliamentary assistant, providing a link between... Read more »

Keir Starmer has suffered his first resignations as the calls for him to step down as prime minister grow. Tom Rutland, a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, was the first to issue a statement announcing his decision to resign. A PPS acts as an unpaid parliamentary assistant,... Read more »

Keir Starmer is in “listening” mode, a senior cabinet ally has suggested as the prime minister faces a chorus of calls to resign. Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, insisted that Starmer is “getting on with the job” but appeared to confirm that he is now considering his political future. Jones recognised... Read more »

Andy Burnham’s sensational announcement that he will once again seek a return to parliament sealed a day of immense political drama. The move marks Burnham’s second attempt at a parliamentary comeback, after Labour’s national executive committee (NEC), Starmer-in-council, thwarted his prospective candidacy for the February 2026 Gorton and Denton by-election. That contest proceeded without Burnham... Read more »

Andy Burnham has secured a comfortable victory in the highly anticipated Makerfield by-election, winning more than 50% of the vote. Burnham will now return to parliament after months of speculation over his political future and resign his position as mayor of Greater Manchester. The by-election will also pile pressure on Keir Starmer, the prime minister,... Read more »

The news that Andy Burnham would stand as the MP for Makerfield was received with some surprise. In the throes of Labour’s May 2026 crisis, following the disastrous local and devolved parliament elections, commentators questioned his choice of constituency. Burnham’s ambition, of course, was never in doubt – nor was the national executive committee’s rapid... Read more »

Andy Burnham’s sensational victory in the Makerfield by-election rendered untenable the continuation of Keir Starmer’s premiership. The prime minister, to his credit, left his Downing Street bunker on Monday morning and bowed to the inevitable. Starmer’s strained insistence that he would, in the words of another outgoing prime minister, “fight on” and “fight to win”... Read more »