Steve King

No real need. I read that the unions support Burnham. Pretty much every member I speak to would prefer Burnham. I strongly suspect that most MPs are uncomfortable with the current Blue Labour approach. If Burnham challenges, he'll win by a landslide.

The time has to be now. He'll need three years to undo Starmer's strategic mistake in agreeing with Farage that immigration is a major problem for the UK.

But will Starmer allow him to stand? I think that Starmer is toast either way. If Burnham is in the Commons, Starmer loses the leadership. If he blocks Burnham, he loses all support and another candidate challenges and beats him. Streeting maybe?

At what point do the Tories realise that they can't beat Farage for the hard right vote? But there are millions of politically homeless, moderate conservative, Brexit-sceptic voters who would be very supportive of a sensible centre-right party.

As @mrjamesob.bsky.social puts it - the world's wrongest man.

Are they office based or potentially remote?

Unless we want a Farage government, Starmer should go as soon as possible. He needed to galvanise the left and centre to keep out the hard right populists. Instead, he abandoned progressive social democracy in a ridiculous attempt to get the votes of a thousand racists in Mansfield.

Starmer has to go, and the sooner the better. I'm a soft left social democrat, so should be his core support. The problem is his "rivers of blood" speech, attack on the disabled & pro-Brexit rhetoric just give the message that Farage is right. He's lost the left & pushed the right to Reform. #LABOUR

Immigration is a net contributor to the UK economy. The only difference in academic studies is by how much. Pass it on.

I think she was right to go. When you campaign against tax avoidance and call upon others to resign over unpaid tax, you need to be perfect on that issue yourself. However, you know that there's no way a Tory or Reform minister would have left so honourably.

It’s official - “Nigel Farage is right, don’t vote for him” is a demonstrably awful strategy for Labour. Boosts salience of immigration, costs votes on the left, doesn’t persuade any voters on right (why would they accept a crap knock-off when they can have the original?)

Hopefully @stellacreasy.bsky.social is going to run for Deputy Leader. About time her profile and influence matched her abilities. #Labour

@mrjamesob.bsky.social Wouldn't the best compromise be to expand Luton airport? Far easier to access from the Midlands and North and still close to London for your imaginary American friends

The unifying factor behind the Conservative Party is equating laziness with poverty - if the poor work harder, they won't be poor. I can't believe that this reactionary nonsense is now Labour Party policy. Although Timm's version is - if the disabled just work harder, they won't be so disabled.

I think you slightly misunderstood what I meant. Since getting elected, Starmer has been largely pandering to the right - presumably to avoid being trounced in the Red Wall. He's taken the left and centre for granted. With the threat from Corbyn now very real, Starmer will have to change focus.

The danger of this party is obviously that it splits the progressive vote and lets Farage in. Hopefully, it will make Starmer fight for, at least, centre-left votes, rather than reactionary ones. Corbyn could actually do something positive if he stops Starmer hammering the disabled & aping Powell.

The news today about de minimis customs imports is also a Brexit story. The limit pre-Brexit was £15. Once Brexit began to be implemented, customs brokerage became inundated, so the government relieved some of the pressure by upping the limit to £135.

Stupid decision by Starmer. The Welfare bill was a terrible idea and should never have been proposed. The opposition from Labour MPs and Mayors gave me some hope that the party is still my party, even if the leadership has made me doubt that recently. This is another strategic own goal.

YouTube video by Clive Lewis Labour MP explains why welfare costs are really rising (and why he's voting against cuts)

youtu.be/Ap3xdTkIF6U?...

I would urge people to watch this.
Clive has absolutely nailed it.

Not the entire party. This actually highlights the strength of Labour. Even with a poor leader, Chancellor and Welfare Minister, the basic decency of the party came through. There is no way the Lib Dems or the Tories rebel against a whip to support a terrible bill.

Or...stop trying for the reactionary vote and let Farage have them. Pin Brexit on Farage and explain that is the reason for the comatose economy. Go into the next GE with Labour promising to rejoin the SM and CU. Watch the economy fly and inward investment take off.

@mrjamesob.bsky.social Is Labour's best chance if winning the next election to make it about Brexit? Accept that Farage has the reactionary 25%. Pin Brexit on him. Say that winter fuel, PIP etc were forced by the economic realities of Brexit. Vote Labour to rejoin SM & CU to rebuild UK. #BREXIT

Which underlines what a disastrously bad policy austerity was. Reducing the spending power of the least wealthy condemns an economy to scrape along the bottom. People with no reserves spend their incomes quickly - this recycles quickly through the real economy and back into government coffers.

There's a basic principle that Starmer, Reeves and Kendal forgot: you should not try to balance the books by making the lives of vulnerable people intolerable. Borrowing more, taxing wealth or tightening the rules on tax avoidance won't kill people, taking away PIP will.

Indeed it is, but if the Govt just kept that in mind before trying to force through policies which are incompatible with basic Labour values, it would save a lot of heartache and wouldn't hand the next GE on a plate to Farage.

@teamlabouruk.bsky.social People vote Labour, join Labour, become Labour councillors, and become Labour MPs because they believe in social justice. Keir Starmer must understand that ultimately, party stakeholders will not allow policies that make life intolerable for the vulnerable. #Labour

I actually think that the root cause is the bond markets. If the govt does not placate them, public borrowing becomes unsustainable. The bond markets prefer centre-right policies, so that's where governments are forced. That isn't making life better for many people, hence the dissatisfaction.

I'm sure that by addressing the reasons that people are claiming that the benefits bill can be reduced. Get people the training, education, health care and support they need, and they will become productive. Drive them into poverty and they will become less productive and many will die.

You did the right thing. You have taken a backwards step in your political career. Eventually, the party will rid itself of this Blue Labour cult. Then we'll need MPs that we can trust and support, and currently you are top of that list.