The PLP is looking towards the future, after the May elections, and about who might replace Starmer if the results make his position untenable. While the number of Labour MPs who have publicly called on him to go remains small, plenty of others have private doubts.
One interesting change I’ve noticed is how the Raynerites and the Burnhamites are coagulating into a single group. Until recent weeks the differences between these two camps were quite perceptible, with the Raynerites suspicious of some of Andy Burnham’s radical ideas, particularly his commitment to electoral reform, on which he is maddeningly stubborn despite concerns across the soft left.
But in the past few days, I’ve spoken to some of Rayner’s closest parliamentary allies who now say Burnham must be allowed to return to parliament and assume the role of senior partner. This is partly a result of ruthless electoral logic from those who have decided that, with the party’s polling in a desperate place, Burnham could be their best shot at holding on to their seats – he is still ranked as the most popular Labour politician in the country.
There is also the realisation that the Prime Minister’s position is weaker than it ever has been and could diminish further very soon, so firm plans must be made. I’m told that the summit between Burnham and Rayner last weekend at the former deputy prime minister’s home in Manchester was the most serious such planning meeting yet. In the words of another Manchester Labourite, Alex Ferguson, we’re getting to “squeaky bum time”.
This piece first appeared in the Morning Call newsletter; receive it every morning by subscribing on Substack here
[Further reading: NS profile: Zack Polanski is still learning]
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Subscribe here to commentHow can they really unite? Burnham supports PR and is therefore a democrat. Rayner supports FPTP, the voting system that has given us decades of Tory governments and could propel Farage into Downing Street of 30% of the vote.