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The Unbearable Lightness of Being Andy Burnham

9 September 2026 at 15:46

Like most of the rest of his frontbench, Andy Burnham has never had a proper job outside politics. No wonder his policy agenda – the little we know of it – is so unbearably light, says Madeleine Gillies.

The post The Unbearable Lightness of Being Andy Burnham appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Sue Gray Says Working in Starmer’s No 10 Was ‘Unbearable’

21 August 2026 at 13:00

Baroness Sue Gray says working in Starmer’s No 10 was unbearable because no one could be trusted: "It just got to the point where, you know, everything you say, you feel somebody is recording it."

The post Sue Gray Says Working in Starmer’s No 10 Was ‘Unbearable’ appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

An Indecent Man

23 June 2026 at 15:16

No sooner has Starmer quit then media voices pipe up claiming he was a "good man". This, of course, is nonsense, says Nick Dixon. His two-tier, tin-eared response to the Southport murders showed he is anything but.

The post An Indecent Man appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Starmer has a strong green record – but a rightwing backlash weakened his plans

Prime minister was forced to row back on some policies despite strong support among voters for climate action

Keir Starmer has faced a problem no Labour government has needed to deal with before. His energy and climate policies – core to solving the cost of living crisis – have come under attack from opposition parties, which have made dismantling the agenda one of their top priorities, second only to immigration, in their pitch to voters.

This is new in British politics, where a cross-party consensus on the climate and environment has held at least since the days of Margaret Thatcher. She warned the UN of the climate crisis in 1988; David Cameron in 2006 urged voters to “vote blue, go green”; Theresa May enshrined in law the requirement to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050; Boris Johnson championed the Cop26 UN climate summit in Glasgow in 2021; even Rishi Sunak only tried a partial rollback of green policies as a last desperate throw before calling an election.

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© Photograph: Mauro Pimentel/PA

© Photograph: Mauro Pimentel/PA

© Photograph: Mauro Pimentel/PA

Starmer is Ready to Resign, Say Allies

21 June 2026 at 09:00

Allies of Sir Keir Starmer believe he is preparing to step down as he realises the "game is up" after facing an evaporation of support over the weekend.

The post Starmer is Ready to Resign, Say Allies appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Too Young for TikTok, Old Enough to Vote?

17 June 2026 at 17:00

According to Keir Starmer, a teenager doesn’t have the judgement to scroll through Instagram without state supervision, but does have the judgement to pick the next government. We are governed by idiots, says Clive Pinder.

The post Too Young for TikTok, Old Enough to Vote? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Keir Starmer’s Doomed Social Media ‘Ban’

16 June 2026 at 19:00

The evidence from Australia is clear, says Dr Reuben Kirkham, Director of the Free Speech Union of Australia: Sir Keir Starmer's social media 'ban' is doomed to fail. And it targets the wrong things anyway.

The post Keir Starmer’s Doomed Social Media ‘Ban’ appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

John Healey Quits as Defence Secretary Over Starmer Military Funding Failure

11 June 2026 at 13:00

John Healey has resigned as defence secretary over Sir Keir Starmer’s defence investment plan, accusing the Prime Minister of failing to "meet the moment" over his long-delayed proposals to boost military spending.

The post John Healey Quits as Defence Secretary Over Starmer Military Funding Failure appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Can Anyone or Anything Stop Andy Burnham Now?

11 June 2026 at 11:00

Can anyone or anything stop Andy Burnham becoming PM now, asks Mark Littlewood in his latest Political Betting column as he contemplates breaking his usual rule and taking the 2/5 odds-on bet.

The post Can Anyone or Anything Stop Andy Burnham Now? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

The Guardian view on the Aberdeen South byelection: the politics of energy take centre stage | Editorial

31 May 2026 at 17:30

While Westminster’s attention is focused on Andy Burnham and Makerfield, another pivotal byelection is taking place in Scotland’s north-east

The coming byelection in Makerfield, from where Andy Burnham aspires to make rapid progress towards Downing Street, is perhaps the most consequential in British political history. But the decision by the Scottish National party’s former Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, to relocate to Holyrood means that another pivotal contest is taking place more than 350 miles to the north. If Makerfield is a test case for Mr Burnham and Labour’s ability to see off Reform UK, Mr Flynn’s old constituency of Aberdeen South is on the frontline of the increasingly fraught politics of North Sea oil.

Labour, despite finishing second in the 2024 general election thanks largely to anti-Tory tactical voting, will not be expecting much this time round. The ramifications of Donald Trump’s reckless war in Iran have exposed Britain’s ongoing vulnerability to fossil-fuel-related energy shocks, highlighting the practical benefits of moving to a green economy. But the knock-on effects of the closure of the strait of Hormuz have also been a gift for the Scottish Conservatives and Reform, who are framing the byelection as a local referendum on reviving oil and gas production beyond Westminster-imposed limits.

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© Photograph: Iain Masterton/Alamy

© Photograph: Iain Masterton/Alamy

© Photograph: Iain Masterton/Alamy

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