UK: Starmer resigns – is Burnham a good alternative?
Keir Starmer has announced that he is stepping down as British Prime Minister and leader of the Labour party. He will remain in office until his successor has been chosen. Starmer has been under growing pressure for months, which intensified when his Labour rival Andy Burnham was elected to a parliamentary seat in a by-election last week – thus fulfilling a key prerequisite for taking up government posts. Can Burnham bring stability for his party and the country?
Popularity no guarantee of success
Info.cz looks ahead:
“Many prognoses suggest that, while Burnham is currently more popular than Starmer, the situation could change rapidly once he took office. ... Burnham, who is further to the left within the party than Starmer, could not only steer Labour in a different direction, but also very quickly find himself in a situation as difficult as, if not more difficult than, that of the incumbent prime minister. Being popular and winning an election in Greater Manchester is one thing, but taking over the leadership of a party that is unpopular nationwide and shouldering the responsibility of governing the United Kingdom is quite another.”
Next in line will also fall from grace
De Volkskrant is not convinced that much would change under Burnham:
“He is more charismatic than Starmer and advocates a strong state that regulates society and promotes social justice. That is commendable, but it remains unclear how he intends to translate his good intentions into concrete measures. This means he risks the same fate as his predecessors, in particular Keir Starmer: politicians who promise 'change' but quickly fall out of favour with a disgruntled electorate.”
Fresh impetus for Labour
Should Burnham become Prime Minister, he needs to set about reducing the cost of living without delay, advises The Guardian:
“That includes capping bus fares at £2, cutting energy bills by shifting green levies on to general taxation, and cutting business rates for pubs and small shops. ... Repossess the failing water companies, Thames Water first, and declare his long-term intent to take back control of the National Grid. ... No one can complain he doesn't have substantial policies. ... All of this would tell a good story about what Labour is, who it's for, what it can do.”
Sanctimony exposed
The Daily Telegraph complains that Labour has broken the promises that helped Starmer secure his landslide victory:
“We will be different, said Labour with characteristic sanctimony. We will end the chaos and dysfunction with a revival of 'grown-up' government. Yet here we are on the threshold of a sixth change of prime minister in 10 years. At least the Tory crises were arguably precipitated by great events like Brexit and its aftermath and then the handling of the Covid pandemic.”