Whatever the prime minister does now, the result is the same. He’s finished.
Blocking Andy Burnham’s leadership bid will show how weak Keir Starmer is (Image: Getty)
Starmer is still in office, but his authority is shot. Politically, he’s a dead man walking, stumbling blindly from one blunder to the next as his support withers away. The only real question now is who replaces him. With Manchester mayor Andy Burnham edging closer to Westminster, that question becomes more urgent by the day.
Burnham hasn’t even entered Parliament, but his looming return has exposed the Starmer’s loss of control over his own party. Worse, it’s trapped Starmer in a political Catch-22. Every possible response to Burnham’s challenge confirms the verdict that’s already been reached. The PM is has hit a total dead end.
Every policy ends in a humiliating U-turn. Winter fuel, welfare cuts, inheritance tax on farmers, digital ID, grooming gangs, two-child benefit cap, business rates on pubs and now the Chagos Islands. Each reversal chips away at what little authority he has left, and underlines how hollow his leadership has become.
Starmer has no good choices left. Burnham’s decision to return to Westminster has boxed him in. If he blocks Burnham using party manoeuvres, he looks weak and frightened. But if Burnham gets in, Starmer invites a rival straight onto the Labour benches. That’s his personal Catch-22.
Burnham doesn’t even need to launch a leadership bid. His presence alone destabilises the PM. He’ll become a rallying point for disaffected MPs every time Starmer stumbles, which is most of the time.
Every poor poll, U-turn and every disastrous Parliamentary questions will only invite more speculation. Starmer may cling on for a while, but the party has already started planning for what comes next.
Blocking Burnham proves Starmer is too weak to lead. Welcoming him makes leading impossible. The logic is circular and merciless. We’re just waiting for it to play out.
But Labour also faces a brutal Catch-22. Getting rid of Starmer will only highlight that it’s washed up too.
This isn’t Labour territory. The party just wants to spend money on worthy causes, but there’s no money left, we daren’t borrow more and voters can’t take any more tax hikes.
Which leads me to the ultimate catch. Burnham would be just as useless as Starmer. So would Wes Streeting. Other leadership hopefuls such as Angela Rayner and Ed Miliband would be markedly worse. Why? Starmer isn’t the real problem here. It’s Labour.
Its next PM will be just as boxed in by Labour’s fantasy politics. The party is finished, no matter who leads it. With Starmer gone, the country will see it. That’s Labour’s Catch-22, and there’s no escape. It’s finished too.
