Inside the ‘bloodless’ plot to oust Starmer this weekend

The idea of a contest may not daunt the PM, but it looks less and less appealing to many in his ranks, says Anne McElvoy

- Anne McElvoy

The scores on the doors in Makerfield are an unambiguous vindication of Andy Burnham’s quest to unseat Keir Starmer.

In a seat that voted squarely for Reform only a few weeks ago in the local elections, he increased the Labour majority by 10 per cent. A nonchalant statement after the results were announced, that he was now “off for a pint”, and a stump speech linking his regional achievements with a national purpose. “Everybody knows that politics isn’t working. Everybody knows that the country is not where it should be,” he said.

The scale of the win and the fact that so many voters transferred their allegiance to Burnham from Reform UK make it harder for Labour to ignore the fact that its leadership is changing under its feet. The burning question is how that happens with the least damage to an already scarred party.

The case for retaining Starmer is grounded in the PM’s settled belief that things are turning a corner. Immigration is tumbling, inflation statistics are less grim, and his role on the world stage has been again acknowledged, working together with Germany and France in bringing Donald Trump back to supporting Ukraine, or at least not undermining it.

But the PM’s core problem, which Makerfield brought into strong relief, is that Labour needs to show it can provide a coherent and convincing case against Nigel Farage’s nationalist-populist recipe, as well as the obvious problem that Starmer has not shown himself to be a “Reform slayer”. Burnham, on the other hand, just nailed that comparison in the context of a culturally conservative part of the country outside the metropolises.