THE CASCADE BEGINS?

After several hours of relative calm on Monday afternoon, the resignations began.  The first came at 18:00 on the dot - Tom Rutland (East Worthing and Shoreham) quit his position as parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to the Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds.  He declared: "It is clear to me that the PM has lost authority, not just within the Parliamentary Labour Party, but across the country".  He added that he did not 'have faith in the PM' to meet the challenge posed by Reform UK.

Rutland was followed minutes, if not seconds later, by the PPS to Wes Streeting.  Joe Morris (Hexham) wrote: "It is in the best interests of the country and the party that the PM sets out a swift timetable to ensure that a new leader is in place to regain the confidence of the public".

Morris was followed around 45 minutes later by Naushabah Khan (Gillingham and Rainham), PPS to the Cabinet Office.  She called for 'new leadership' and 'a clear change of direction'.

Over an hour passed before a fourth PPS resigned.  Melanie Ward (Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy) stood down as Dave Lammy's PPS and echoed earlier resignation statements by declaring that the PM no longer had the 'trust and confidence of the public'.

The number of MPs publicly calling for Starmer to go is now also rising steadily.  Last night it stood at 42, but it has now risen to 64.  Earlier today the Housing Secretary Steve Reed claimed that 'around 90 per cent' of MPs wanted the PM to stay on.  Within hourse of this interview the number of MPs calling on Starmer to go had risen to almost 16 per cent of the PLP.

Oops!

MEME MONDAY #82

As to be expected in an election week, Karl ramped up the memes...

Mon 4 May - 11 shares

Mon 4 May - 542 shares

Mon 4 May - 1,727 shares

Tue 5 May - 50 shares.  Perfect framing!

Tue 5 May - 16 shares

Tue 5 May - 25 shares

Tue 5 May - 90 shares

Wed 6 May - 779 shares

Wed 6 May - 332 shares

Wed 6 May - 148 shares

Wed 6 May - 4 shares.  The result was as follows...
Con = 17
Ref = 277
Other = 6
No vote = 62

Thu 7 May - 983 shares

Thu 7 May - 1 share.  The first of two new Facebook cover photos

Thu 7 May - 6 shares.  The second cover photo is based on the Night King
from Game of Thrones

Thu 7 May - 5 shares.  We thought all the trannies were standing for the
Greens.  We were wrong!

Thu 7 May - 12 shares.  Cartoon by Christian Adams

Fri 8 May - 183 shares.  The worst day in the history of
Labour in Wales

Fri 8 May - 8 shares

Sat 9 May - 59 shares

Sun 10 May - 987 shares

Sun 10 May - 12 shares

Sun 10 May - 2 shares.  In honour of Bono's birthday.  The ultra narcissist is an
alumni of the WEF, a personal friend of Tony Blair's and all round
progressive tit

Sun 10 May - 35 shares

Sun 10 May - 35 shares.  Cartoon by Grizelda

It was also a bumper week for Facebook Stories...

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TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE

Catherine West's attempt to force a leadership challenge against Keir Starmer appears to have failed.  The Labour backbencher released a statement shortly after Starmer's make or break speech on Monday morning, which received a luke warm response at best.

West's statement in full:

"I have listened to the prime minister's speech this morning.  I welcome the renewed energy and ideas.  However, I have reluctantly concluded that this morning’s speech was too little, too late.

The results last Thursday show that the Prime Minister has failed to inspire hope.  What is best for the party and country now is for an orderly transition.

I am hereby giving notice to No 10 that I am collecting names of Labour MPs to call on the Prime Minister to set a timetable for the election of a new leader in September.

I want to thank everyone who has been in contact over the weekend to offer good wishes.  We need our best top team in place to fight the next election.  We owe working people up and down the country nothing less."

The news will be disappointing for Starmer's critics, especially as momentum seemed to build throughout Sunday.  The number of MPs publicly calling on him to go had more than doubled in 24 hours, from 20 to 42.  Both Streeting and Rayner also emerged from their collective post-election bunkers on Sunday evening.  Streeting is reported to have told Starmer that he is 'prepared to succeed him', but would not challenge the PM directly.  Weak.

Meanwhile, Rayner put Starmer on notice in a speech, declaring: "What we are doing isn't working, and it needs to change".  However, instead of positioning herself as the person to make that change, she endorsed the return of Andy Burnham to the Commons: "We must show we understand the scale of change the moment calls for, that means bringing our best players into Parliament".  It had been a 'mistake' to block him from standing in Gorton and Denton, she added.

There is still no sign that an MP is willing to make way for Burnham, but it could happen in the coming days as plotters look to keep up the pressure on Starmer.  Whether or not West's threat to raise a petition of Labour MPs can contribute to the pressure remains to be seen, but it would need to contain significantly more than the 42 MPs currently calling on him to go.

Starmer appears to be safe for another day, but it's going to be a long week as he licks his wounds on tenterhooks.

WEST STICKS TO HER GUNS

"The voters sent us a very strong message that we are not good enough".  That was Catherine West's justification for her sensational intervention in trying to force Keir Starmer out of Number Ten.  West was speaking to Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday morning, with the BBC presenter making light of her chances.  While it's true, not many Labour MPs have swung behind her move publicly - barely any in fact - many others have said nothing.  This silent majority could spring a surprise on Monday, unless West backs out at the last minute.  She needs 81 comrades to nominate her.

Towards the end of the interview, West was repeatedly asked about reports that allies of other potential leadership candidates had put pressure on her to stand down.  Kuenssberg named Andy Burnham as one of those who had been exerting such pressure.  West repeatedly refused to address the reports and remained steadfast.

Watch below (4 minute watch)

Andy Burnham is probably the only leadership hopeful with a justifiable gripe about West's intervention.  As he is currently on the outside looking in, and cannot participate in a leadership election, he needs more time to enact his reported plan of re-entering the Commons.  However, despite the dust now settling on the election results, no MP has resigned or even signalled their intention to stand aside for him.  Time is not on Burnham's side, especially if West gains the signatures and forces a contest.  A by-election can take up to five weeks to hold and by then it would be too late for Burnham to join the fray.

Other potential challengers have remained tight-lipped since election day, especially Angela Rayner.  She has not posted any response at all to Labour's mauling.  If she and Wes Streeting are serious about succeeding Starmer, they have the most to gain from West's intervention.  The one drawback is that MPs can only nominate one candidate, so it could potentially be very difficult for either of them to gain enough signatures if West successfully collects 81 names herself.

Will either of them strike first in order to head off a potential threat from Burnham?  The silence is deafening.

BOATWATCH #58

Twelve boats were intercepted last week, just an increase of one from the previous week.  However, these boats were carrying more colonists, which boosted the numbers delivered to our shores by almost 200.  An average of 65 colonists were loaded onto each boat last week, compared to 54 the previous week.  2026 is still closely tracking the trajectory of 2022, which remains the biggest year for small boat arrivals.

Total = 780 (up 183 from previous week)

RICHEY'S ELECTION REVIEW

Due to a combination of work commitments, illness and the absurdly staggered timing of election counts, we could not pull an all nighter on Thursday - as we have in the past.  The process of counting votes and then declaring results a few hours after the polls close seems to be getting more scarce in recent years.  This week the overwhelming majority of English councils joined Scotland and Wales in deferring their counts until the following day.  This rendered an 'all nighter' pointless and with work commitments standing in Karl's way and illness hindering Richey, a full programme of coverage on this website was very difficult indeed.

Instead, we tried our best to cover the election on our social media accounts and succeeded in communicating the main points, which resulted in impressive distribution and engagement.  In place of our usual election coverage on binlabour.com, Richey has recorded a video review - under difficult circumstances.  He is currently suffering from a horrendous cough that has lingered from a recent chest infection, not helped by little sleep during these staggered election counts.  Multiple takes due to this cough delayed the release of the video.  By the time Karl had received and edited the files, the election and its fallout had progressed further.  Therefore, the declarations of Bradford City Council and Tower Hamlets had come and gone by the time the video was posted.  The Catherine West ultimatum had also come and gone.

Regardless, the review is still relevant and you are welcome to watch below (18 minute watch)

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Thank you.

BACKBENCHER THROWS DOWN THE GAUNTLET

Labour backbencher Catherine West has declared that she will challenge Keir Starmer for the leadership if no-one else comes forward by Monday morning.  This is the biggest development yet in the fall out from Thursday's election mauling, albeit not quite what many had envisaged when it came to the process of ousting Starmer.

Clearly frustrated by the lack of movement since the full election horror unfolded on Friday, West informed the BBC of her intention.  She refused to name a preferred successor to Starmer, but appeared to confirm that there are multiple plotters already circulating: "I think there are several people who would like to do it, who have been planning for months, but I'm very surprised that none of them has popped up today to say ‘I will do it’."

She continued: "Keir has done excellent work rebuilding the Labour party and on foreign policy, but what we do worry about is taking the fight to Reform on the domestic agenda, which I think he has less of a grip of, and also trying to identify traditional Labour voters who we've lost so that we can get them back on side and we can win the country in the 2029 general election.  We can't just go on with our main spokesperson being Keir."

Watch the moment she drops the leadership bombshell below.

West could potentially be a stalking horse for one of the plotters, throwing her name in the hat so they can join the contest at a later date, after which she drops out - having served her purpose.  That is what will probably happen anyway, even if she is acting unilaterally out of genuine frustration.

West has been the MP for the north London constituency of Hornsey and Friern Barnet (formerly Hornsey and Wood Green) since 2015.  Before becoming an MP she served on Islington Borough Council and was the council leader between 2010 and 2013.  She is a staunch Remainer and a Fabian, just like the man she is trying to force out.  She served on the front benches under both Corbyn and Starmer, but has been a backbench MP since leaving the government in last September's cabinet reshuffle.

Just like most of her comrades, West is from a bourgeois background.  She is the daughter of schoolteachers, was privately educated and is a university graduate.  She was born and bred in Australia, having only moved to the UK in 1998.  Her first role in the Labour party was as a caseworker for Tottenham MP Dave Lammy.

If no-one meets her ultimatum and she seeks to challenge Starmer on Monday, she will need the backing of 81 colleagues in Westminster to do so.

IS BURNHAM'S 'CREDIBLE PLAN' CREDIBLE?

The Mayor of Greater Manchester is clearly desperate to replace Starmer, but his path remains by far the most difficult of all the PM's potential successors - primarily because he remains outside the Parliamentary Labour Party and cannot challenge Starmer.  However, Mr Burnham reportedly has a 'credible plan' to make a swift return to Westminster 'within weeks'.  That's according to a report in The Guardian, but how 'credible' is this supposed plan?

The plan is quite simple.  Burnham reportedly has 'identified several seats where MPs are prepared to step aside for his leadership bid'.  There is no indication as to who might be prepared to sacrifice their place on the Westminster gravy train, but in order for Burnham's triumphant return 'in weeks', they would have to do it very soon.  Clearly, if there is a plan, the MP would resign in the wake of Labour's imminent electoral disaster.  The resulting by-election would then take place in either the first or second week of June.

However, as with Gorton and Denton, Burnham still has massive obstacles in his way.  Firstly, he has to somehow overcome the biggest of all - the National Executive Committee.  It was the NEC that blocked his candidacy in Gorton and Denton and there is nothing new to suggest this won't happen again.  The NEC is chaired by Shabana Mahmood, includes Ellie Reeves (younger sister of the Chancellor, who has as much to lose as Starmer) and the wet blanket Jonathan Reynolds who is Starmer's chief whip.  Starmer himself also sits on the NEC.  As deputy leader, Lucy Powell is also there, and she would argue for Burnham as she did previously for Gorton and Denton.  A vote on Burnham's candidacy would probably be closer than the 8-1 majority that kept him out previously, but whether it would swing back enough is debatable.

Secondly, Burnham needs to actually win the by-election if he is selected.  There aren't many 'safe seats' for Labour these days and - combined with the equally far-fetched notion of some Westminster parasite willing to jump off the gravy train - it will be interesting to see if Burnham can combine these two unlikely scenarios.

His best route to success would be somewhere on Merseyside.  This is one area where one could argue there are still 'safe seats' for Labour and what's more - Burnham is a Scouser himself.  He would likely win in this scenario, particularly as his campaign would largely be built on replacing the hated Starmer.  Are there any Merseyside MPs willing to give way?  No-one is spilling the beans.  Currently, the only MP who has suggested they are willing to give up their seat is Clive Lewis of Norwich South.  However, as we have argued previously, this is not a serious offer and Burnham would not particularly want to parachute in anywhere that will tarnish his 'king in the north' persona.

That may change, but we'll find out soon enough.

Rayner and Streeting are ready to move and they don't have to jump through half as many hoops as Burnham in order to get there.  Who moves first?  It's hard to say, but the vultures are circling above Number Ten as Labour's electoral catastrophe unfolds...

BRASS NECK GREENS

Seeing as it's Toon Tuesday, we thought we'd publish this 'controversial' toon in a separate post.  This appeared in The Times on Saturday, drawn by Peter Brookes (famed for his depiction of Ed Miliband as Wallace from Wallace & Gromit).  The cartoon is a reference to Zack Polanski's endorsement of an X post in which the user criticised police officers for the manner in which they disarmed a knife-wielding maniac in Golders Green.  The post read: "So essentially these officers were repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head when he was already incapacitated by taser".

Take a close look at how Zack Polanski is depicted here...

As far as we're concerned - and we're pretty sure you'll agree - there is absolutely nothing untoward here.  It's not the greatest likeness, but fairly clear who it is from the high hairline, gap in the front teeth and the very obvious Green rosette.

Now get this - Polanski and his supporters have accused Peter Brookes and The Times newspaper of 'anti-Semitism'!

Brookes has faced a deluge of criticism on social media, likening his cartoon to Nazi-era German depictions of Jews.  Those cartoons look nothing like Brookes' drawing and asides from the jug ears, there is little exaggeration in the facial characteristics of someone who - let's be honest - is one ugly motherfucker.  The fact he is Jewish is actually irrelevant.

This hasn't stopped the Green Party writing an official complaint to The Times, Polanski publicly claiming it as 'a pretty vile anti-Semitic caricature' and leftists like Owen Jones echoing the complaints.  The brass neck of the left is unreal.  They have spent years marching alongside the most vile of Jew haters, ingratiating themselves to a community crammed full of Jew hating Muslims, while Polanski himself has poured scorn on the very existence of a Jewish state.

In the days leading up to Brookes' cartoon, two Green Party candidates were arrested for social media posts which included the endorsement of attacks on synagogues.  Several other Green candidates are also alleged to have made anti-Semitic social media posts, while ex-party leader Caroline Lucas has today called on the party to act swiftly on the issue.

So for Polanski's crazy gang to accuse someone else of 'anti-Semitism' is more than a bit rich.

At the time of writing, neither Peter Brookes or The Times appear to have given the accusations any time of day.  Quite rightly so!

TOON TUESDAY #101

This week we've got a bumper edition to make up for the last fortnight's absence of topical toons.  We begin, of course, with the scandal that just won't go away...

Peter Brookes for The Times

Dave Brown for The Independent

Matt Pritchett for The Daily Telegraph

Christian Adams for The Sunday Telegraph

Ben Jennings for The Guardian

Morten Morland for The Sunday Times

Matt Pritchett for The Daily Telegraph

Dave Brown for The Independent

Martin Rowson for The Guardian

Peter Brookes for The Times

Morten Morland for The Times

Morten Morland for The Times

Morten Morland for The Times

Christian Adams for The Daily Telegraph

Dave Brown for The Independent

Christian Adams for The Daily Telegraph

Patrick Blower for The Daily Telegraph

Nick Newman for The Spectator

Graeme Bandeira for The Northern Agenda

Ben Jennings for The Guardian

Nick Newman for The Sunday Times

Patrick Blower for The Daily Telegraph

Patrick Blower for The Daily Telegraph

Steve Bright for The Sun

Patrick Blower for The Daily Telegraph

Christian Adams for The Sunday Telegraph

Christian Adams for The Daily Telegraph

Pete Songi on X

Bonus toon!  Slightly out of place with the focus on Mandelson, the elections and imminent leadership challenge, but hilarious stuff from Matt nonetheless...

Matt Pritchett for The Daily Telegraph