HARD TO PORT
As predicted the local elections were a disaster for Labour. I need not dig too deep on how colossal was the carnage for Labour as all predictions were handsomely met. If this disaster had been engineered by Keir Starmer it could not have been better executed.
Even though we famously know Keir's go to tool from his dad's old tool box is the u turn Keir is not for u turning on his determination to keep calm and carry on. In the Observer (10th May 2026) Keir is even hallucinating about doing two terms. He will be lucky to achieve another 2 weeks.
Keir must have known that his Starmageddon would lead to instant calls on him to send for white van man to move all his belongings from Downing Street. We know he has threatened to carry out a reshuffle. We have the King's speech on Wednesday where Keir can tell the nation what his Government plans to deliver over the next year and a half. The reality is though that Wednesday's pomp and ceremony will be somewhat superfluous as each measure delivered from The Throne in The House of Lords amounts to little more than a Wishlist of policies which will hit the buffers on delivery. You just have to accept that reading the manual when the car refuses to start is futile, particularly when you've driven the car at speed into a wall.
An increasing chorus of Labour MPs have joined the karaoke evening calling for Starmer to lay out his plans. They are not interested in his plans for the country, but his plans to quit as Prime Minister. Catherine West MP has contributed her own doom laden threat to the sing song by saying that unless the Cabinet grow a pair and move on Starmer she will embark on the mission herself.
Starmer's initial reaction to calm the troops following the downfall of more than half his councillors was to announce two new additions to his team. When I say new I mean new only in their appointment, as both Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman are past relics of yesteryear when people watched TV with just a few channels and played with their Sony walkman. Keir probably sent them a message via a fax machine or reached for his original Motorola mobile weighing more than a bag of sugar.
The reaction from Labourland has been one of astonishment.
I refer to Labourland with nostalgic affection. It has been booted out of many former Labour strongholds like Barnsley, Sunderland, Tameside and Lambeth. The Welsh Senedd was nothing short of a disaster with Labour reduced to single figures and their Leader , Eluned Morgan, losing her seat. I know from bitter experience that your councillors are your foot soldiers when it comes to fighting General Elections, and Labour MPs must be feeling somewhat isolated and battered as they work out who will knock on doors and deliver leaflets for them when the next election comes.
Keir tells us in those nasal Dalek tones that he has a majority in Parliament. He is right, and it is a stonking majority of about 174. I see their Westminster presence much as I look at stars in the sky. On a clear night it is one hell of a show but when a star dies it will take perhaps 100 years or more for it to disappear but the reality is it is already dead. This is how I see most Labour MPs now. They may still be shining bright and in big numbers and they are at least 2 years from the next election but they are ,in essence, as dead as supernova 1987A!
Keir may try a cabinet reshuffle, if he is allowed, and we will have his Wishlist from The Throne on the 13th May but Keir had his opportunity in 2024 to bring the change he promised during that Labour victory. He is trying to turn a ship around that sunk with each dreadful u turn or attack on alarm clock Britain. The list of broken promises is too huge to list here but needless to say when you savagely let down the people who put you in power then don't expect anything from them other than retaliation.
Starmer is simply toxic and each Cabinet member defending him will not be judged well by history or more importantly their voters. The people have spoken and sadly for a former Director of public prosecution the Jury is in- and their verdict unanimous and clear.
Starmer is trying to change the course of his sunken ship from the seabed. Its an absolutely futile gesture and most of Britain would rather prefer he abandon ship.
UPDATE 20:11 10th May 2026
The gloves are truly off with Angela Rayner publishing a 4 page assault on Starmer's 22 months in office. The importance of the poison pen letter is that it is a direct challenge to Keir's speech which he will deliver to his MPs on Monday. Its a clarion call to turn left with promises of unfunded public spending and rises in the minimum wage ( which businesses already on their knees will have to meet) and increasing job opportunities for young people ( which the same businesses will do quite the opposite if their costs rise further).
The stinger on page 4 is confronting the PM's decision to block Andy Burnham from fighting the Gorton and Denton by election. she calls it a mistake. We all know that this was Starmer's doing as he led the charge at the NEC meeting that blocked the King of the North. Ouch!
It is a full frontal attack to Starmer's Premiership whilst pointing to the second coming of Labour's saviour. Starmer should be afraid as Burnham's vengeful cheer leader , Ange, will be like Emily Thornberry on steroids. I'm picturing a spin dryer, out of control, shaking itself out of its fixed corner. No wonder Ed Miliband is trying to ban them.
Out of the blocks too is Wes Streeting who has allowed it to be known that his message to Number 10 is that he loyal to Keir. Just in case Starmer doesn't believe him Wes has also let it be known that his running shoes are on, you know the marathon winning supercharged Adidas trainers , and that he has been crouched over the starting blocks for quite some months. I hope the PM is further reassured about Wes's unswerving loyalty by the main story in the Telegraph entitled, "I'm ready to be the next PM, Streeting tells Starmer". This no doubt refers to Wes's long term ambitions to take over from Keir after he has finished two full terms. Wonderful. The Telegraph quotes an ally of Streeting saying,
"Wes has made it clear to No10 that he won't challenge Keir, but he is preparing a case if it all falls apart."
"Like most of the party, he thinks Keir is owed the chance to set out how he's going to turn things round this week. He's not plotting."
Starmer can sleep tightly in his bed then in Downing Street. Both Ange and Wes will have front row seats at Starmer's revival meeting on Monday. They will both listen carefully to Keir's pleas to continue in his quest to win over the millions of Labour voters who have deserted the party because of Keir. Ange and Wes have both set him a task bordering on mission impossible knowing that Keir is no Tom Cruise never mind Winston Churchill. Meanwhile Catherine West, who lacks the finesse of the veneer of loyalty displayed by others, is collecting her signatures.
It's a shame the revivalist showdown is not being televised. I think pay per view would earn a fortune. Maybe the only answer is for Keir to go full Dalek tomorrow, turn towards his detractors and say "exterminate, exterminate." After all, what's he got to lose?