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Chapter 1: What led to Keir Starmer's resignation as Prime Minister?
We want to start with a very British coup. Only two years ago, we had Keir Starmer swept into office as British Prime Minister into 10 Downing Street on the back of a seismic majority for the Labour Party. And now his MPs have decided to ditch him. He has resigned, having been put under enormous pressure by a growing number of Labour MPs that they wanted change at the top.
It had been expected ever since Andy Burnham was elected as a Member of Parliament late last week. But let's hear a little bit of Keir Starmer outside 10 Downing Street today, the latest British Prime Minister in the last decade to leave office.
The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election. I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question. And I accept that answer with good grace. Every decision I have taken has been about putting the country I love first. That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party.
I have spoken to His Majesty the King this morning to inform him of my decision. I will ask the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party to set out a timetable with nominations opening on the 9th of July and completed by the summer recess. In the case of a contest, this will ensure a new leader is in place before Parliament returns in September.
Chapter 2: How did Andy Burnham's election impact the Labour Party's leadership dynamics?
I will remain in post as Prime Minister until the contest is complete. And I will do everything I can to ensure an orderly handover of power.
Should we call that a resigned resignation, given the tone of voice from Keir Starmer? We're joined by Nick Ferrari, presenter at Nick Ferrari at Breakfast and LBC Radio. And Nick, does that sound like Keir Starmer is leaving almost without a fight?
No fight at all. Despite after the by-election win for Labour, which has put Andy Burnham on course for number 10, saying that he would fight on, we can now understand that over the course of the weekend, one of his most senior colleagues, Darren Jones, did a ring around.
He, Sir Keir Starmer, also spoke with his greatest supporter, Vic, his wife, Lady Victoria, who refers to right at the end of the speech. And I think it was Lyndon Johnson, the former American, the late American president, who said the most important thing in politics is to be able to count. He did the numbers. He knew he was not going to win, so he's been forced into it.
Just while we're staying with numbers, here's something he takes away. He got the second highest ever majority of a Labour Prime Minister and he is the shortest serving ever Labour Prime Minister. Very free broad times in the United Kingdom at the moment.
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Chapter 3: What were the key points in Keir Starmer's resignation speech?
Yeah, how and why did it come to this? Is it partly down to communication issues that, just quite simply, his delivery, even what we heard from him there, tends to be uninspiring?
Seven prime ministers now in 10 years. We used to laugh at Italy. They've had four through 16 years. What's happening here, particularly with Sir Keir Starmer, is an impossibility to get a message across. He was a lawyer first, a process-driven lawyer, and then a politician.
Even as he left, he laid out and he used the process by which nominations must come forward by the first week of July and then before they recess on July the 16th. unless there are challenges, Andy Burnham will be the Prime Minister. So very good on process, very good on law, but unfortunately didn't have that spark that leaders, particularly political leaders, that's what you look for.
So he's paid the price.
So he's become very, very unpopular. I think the polls were suggesting the most unpopular British Prime Minister of this century. But is it almost an impossible job? Because he did have some major setbacks along the way.
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Chapter 4: Why is the Labour Party's communication strategy critical for its future?
But he also had major achievements. Is it that people are now looking for perfection in a British Prime Minister?
I don't think it's an impossible job. I think you have to be able to have a certain degree of character and charisma. And Sir Keir Starmer, someone I know moderately well, I've done a lot of phone-ins with him to my radio station. He's a perfectly charming bloke, but he doesn't inspire. There doesn't appear to be any fire in the belly. As I think I said to you last week or maybe before,
You can define. You don't have to like Thatcherism. You can define. You don't like to know what Blairism is. No one will ever actually know what Starmer is. To quote Peter Mandelson, it's advanced buckle, advanced buckle. He never had anything that actually drove him on.
Chapter 5: What challenges does Andy Burnham face as a potential Prime Minister?
We still don't actually know what he stands for.
Indeed, how much damage did his appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States essentially do him?
I think that's one of the big ones. I think you look at the first few policies when he came in, cutting welfare, cutting winter fuel payments to needy pensioners, taking on the farmers. That didn't help either. But his appointment of Peter Mandelson showed woeful, woeful judgment. And then, of course, there's the idea of taking free glasses and suits and borrowing someone's apartment.
As we went through the litany of errors, that came up with my callers as well.
But why did that matter so much to voters when you would have had previous incumbents who would have taken far more, much more bigger sums of money and from potentially very dubious sources like Russia? I'm thinking of Boris Johnson in particular.
You've nailed it because they, the Labour Party, came in promising to end this political psychodrama, their words, not mine, promising a cleaner politics, Sir Keir's words, not mine. And that is why there was so little left in the tank by the British public. They'd seen that with Boris Johnson. They'd seen utter incompetence with Liz Truss.
We were promised something better and they failed to deliver.
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Chapter 6: How do economic conditions affect the Labour Party's political strategy?
But aren't they in an almost impossible position given the economic circumstances of Britain at present? The contraction in the economy caused by Brexit, the disruption caused by that, that whatever aspirations and ambitions a Prime Minister and his party may have, they are incredibly constrained by the economic realities of modern day Britain.
Refer you back to Sir Keir's resignation speech. He told us that ours is the fastest growing economy of all our European friends. So, yeah, it is very, very small, but we are actually supposedly doing better than, say, France or Germany or Spain. But then we're not doing as well as the United States and we're not doing as well as Poland.
In truth, without growth anywhere in Europe, particularly in truth, without growth, this country can't go forward. That is why. We've now all started looking at number 10 effectively and trying to wonder who's going to move in next door at number 11 and be Andy Burnham's Chancellor, presuming he gets that coronation that everyone speaks of.
Well, let's hear a little bit of Andy Burnham, who was doorstepped at the train station today in Manchester on his way to be sworn in at Westminster.
I made my statement, obviously, praising the Prime Minister's dedication, service and
and confirm that I will put myself forward in the process that will soon be underway. When Rishi Sunak did that and he became Prime Minister, you called for a general election. Would you be looking to do the same? I think you're jumping several hurdles ahead there.
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Chapter 7: What qualities do voters expect from Andy Burnham as Prime Minister?
My priority today is to become supported as the mayor, as the MP for Makerfield. And it's been very kind of sad for me today to leave Greater Manchester. The people have been brilliant to me over the last few years. I've loved every minute of the role. I hope I leave Manchester in a better place, but thanks very much.
Now, Nick, the way that Andy Burnham won the by-election, the significant majority he got and his ability to beat the right-wing elements of reform and restore, is that what's giving the Labour Party hope that he'll be able to transfer that to a national basis and that various MPs feel that when the time comes they'll be re-elected on the back of his ability to campaign?
totally right the only senior politician in the united kingdom at this time with a plus rating is andy burnham albeit it's only about plus four or five but it is plus and you've got nigel farage minus 60 so that gives you some context but let's remember why last week was so important makerfield is surrounded by all the local authorities there local authorities
that reform stole from Labour as recently as the local elections in England last month. National in Wales, national in Scotland.
MPs who fear, sorry I'm in Westminster now, MPs who fear that they might be at risk from reform will now be thinking they've got a leader who can actually take the fight to Nigel Farage and restore it, they want to be a part of it as well, take the fight to it and he's shown he is a proven winner.
There are some who are claiming there should be an early general election. It's not due till 2029. Surely that's not going to happen. Surely Labour, having changed their leader to put themselves in a better position, aren't going to take the risk of an election now that could go badly wrong for them when they don't have to.
Can't see it.
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Chapter 8: How does being a mayor differ from being a Prime Minister?
Let's remember what Keir said. He claims some of the building blocks are in there. This will give Andy Burnham virtually all but three years to pursue the policies. They won't want that risk. It's not for them. But remember, I thought Sir Keir would go tomorrow at the Cabinet meeting. I'm 24 hours out. I'll give you that. But I don't see a general election until they're virtually up to full term.
OK, it's taken as read that it'll be Andy Burnham. There might be others whose names floated, but at this stage it looks like an unstoppable momentum. What sort of Prime Minister would people expect Andy Burnham to be?
ambitious, one that can communicate. And you've seen that from his mayoralty in Manchester. He is a born communicator in a fashion that Sir Keir Starmer is not. And also one that just avoids the scandals and the messes of which there have been plenty. We didn't need any more bad appointments of ambassadors or any more questionable decisions about football tickets or glasses. That's what we need.
Someone who rolls their sleeves up, bear in mind he likes to wear a T-shirt, and gets on with the job in hand. That's what we're looking for.
Well, one final thing. Isn't there a world of difference between running a city as mayor and being prime minister? And I have somebody else in mind for a precedent in that regard.
You refer to the former Conservative mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who I think most Londoners would accept he did a pretty decent job. As regards running the country, I just refer you to a number of years of troubling headlines and I'll let your listeners have to pass their own judgement.
Nick Ferrari, presenter of Nick Ferrari at Breakfast and LBC Radio. Thank you very much.
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