Labour MPs say ‘endless drama’ of leadership speculation must stop
Labour MPs are calling for a close to the “endless drama” of leadership speculation, as Downing Street begins a fightback against predictions of an imminent challenge to Keir Starmer.Some backbenchers warned that repeated briefings about how and when the prime minister could be toppled were putting off voters, who similarly had disliked the Conservatives’ repeated shuffling of leaders when in power.“All people want is a government which works, and not the endless drama,” one MP said.“We are in a very tricky global situation, and to have this never-ending conversation about who might have a certain number of supporters feels extremely self-indulgent.”Such worries are shared even among some Labour MPs who strongly believe that Starmer should be replaced.
“You can both think the PM isn’t the right man to lead us into the next election and that now isn’t the right time to replace him,” one said,Labour is expected to fare very badly in Thursday’s elections to the Scottish and Welsh parliaments and councils across England, with losses well above 1,000 council seats seen as potentially triggering a challenge,Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, has been widely linked with a planned return to Westminster, but faces a series of logistical hurdles, while the other two obvious candidates, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting, are seen as not yet about to act,Within the vacuum of what one MP called “a Mexican standoff”, allies of various camps have been briefing journalists, something which MPs not involved in the plotting say has become an intense annoyance,“Most sensible MPs are out on the doorsteps, and aren’t worrying about all this,” another backbencher said.
“It’s all focused on personalities and not policy.We’re getting a lot of the ‘who’, but none of the ‘what, why and how’, which is what matters.The same thing with slightly better comms is not going to cut it.”Some allies of Starmer worry the open plotting could make the results even worse, pointing out that in the run-up to the local elections, the group that represents Labour councillors told ministers that they needed unity to prosper.“It’s less than a week from the elections, and we have briefings every day from some would-be candidate or another,” one said.
“Nothing makes a party look more out of touch than this level of self-indulgence when people are really worried about the cost of living.”There is, nonetheless, a definite sense among many MPs that Thursday’s elections could become a trigger, with one saying the expected losses would take things into “uncharted waters”.“People have agreed it’s not working right now, but there isn’t an agreement on what is needed to make it work,” another MP said.“Those that believe this is just midterm pains have factored in us losing 1,000 councillors.If we lose more, they may start thinking this isn’t normal – and I dare say they are right.
”Others, however, believe that, given the huge economic uncertainty of the Iran war, nothing should happen for at least several months,Some MPs have started to push for assurances that Rachel Reeves will be kept as chancellor whatever happens, to avoid spooking the financial markets,Writing in the Observer, Starmer hinted at such worries, saying that during an earlier global crisis, with Covid, the then-Conservative government “descended into political infighting”,Anna Turley, the Labour chair, was more explicit, telling the Sunday Mirror that Labour MPs should “be resilient” and stick with Starmer, adding: “Let’s not get distracted,Let’s not keep looking at ourselves.
”Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, echoed this argument.“Asking the prime minister to somehow reapply for his job when all of that is going on and he is entirely focused on the concerns of the British people would be the wrong thing to do,” she said.“Those people who think that we should have a leadership election now and repeat the mistakes that the Conservative government made in churning through prime ministers probably do need to give their head a gentle wobble.”
‘Voting Green will stop Reform’: party eyes kingmaker role in Wales
The church hall in Cardiff’s Canton neighbourhood was packed with Green party supporters who had spent Saturday canvassing ahead of next week’s crucial Senedd elections. Green party members from Northern Ireland, Sweden and Denmark had all joined the local campaigners, adding to the sense of momentum for the Welsh Greens.After waiting for more than an hour, the crowd cheered when Zack Polanski, leader of the Green party of England and Wales, appeared from behind the nave, hugging the Wales leader Anthony Slaughter as he did so.The pair had settled their differences after Slaughter criticised Polanski for sharing a social media post criticising the police’s handling of the Golders Green attack earlier this week.“This is something that I haven’t expressed out loud before, but I’m going to express it out loud to you guys: I’m really excited to see those results roll in,” Polanski told the crowd
Why UK voters are impossible to satisfy | Brief letters
Zoe Williams is right to question if voters can ever be satisfied (Are our prime ministers the problem – or is the UK ungovernable?, 27 April). The problem governments face is trying to make social promises of quality public services through an economic model that doesn’t work for the majority. Unless we can ditch neoliberalism, which rewards capital not labour, inequality will continue to frustrate voters and defeat governments.Rosie SmithsonFelixstowe, Suffolk I was entertained by Donald Trump’s accusation that “so many people are incensed by [Jimmy] Kimmel’s despicable call to violence”, while Melania explained “Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country” (Jimmy Kimmel defends Melania ‘widow’ joke after the Trumps call for him to be fired, 28 April). A case of the Potus calling the Kimmel black
Starmer adviser held 16 undisclosed meetings with top US tech bosses
An influential government adviser close to Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves held 16 undisclosed meetings with top US tech executives, the Guardian can reveal.The No 10 business aide Varun Chandra discussed regulatory changes, AI and Donald Trump’s second administration with tech corporations during confidential meetings between October 2024 and October 2025. In one meeting he offered to help a top executive meet the prime minister directly.Chandra’s dealings with six major technology companies – Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, Apple and Meta – took place as the government developed policies to secure investment from Silicon Valley, including multimillion-pound energy subsidies and preferential planning approval for datacentres in what ministers have called AI growth zones.While largely unknown outside Westminster, Chandra, who ran a corporate intelligence firm founded by former British spies before joining government, is a central figure in Downing Street and is a key champion of the government’s push for economic growth
UK politics: Polanski says he would ‘discourage’ the use of ‘globalise the intifada’ chant on marches – as it happened
Speaking to the BBC, Zack Polanski discouraged people from using the phrase “globalise the intifada” (see this earlier post for its meaning) but added he is “not interested” in policing language.The Green Party leader told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg:double quotation markIt’s not a phrase I would use personally and that’s because I think if there’s other phrases you can use or other ways to do things then why not just do them.I want people to be more effective so I wouldn’t encourage people to use it because actually I think you can make your point a lot more effectively and not get into this conversation about language.Words matter, but the tens of thousands of Palestinians who have been murdered, the people in Lebanon who have been killed, these people matter too, and I think if people want to protest, that it’s important we defend their right to protest.Yes I do discourage, to give you a more direct answer, the use of the phrase but I’m not interested in trying to police people’s language
Polanski says he would discourage ‘globalise the intifada’ chant but warns against march bans
Zack Polanski has said he would discourage pro-Palestine protesters from using the chant “globalise the intifada”, but the Green party leader warned against specifically outlawing the phrase or banning a protest planned in London later this month.Speaking earlier in the weekend, Keir Starmer called for “tougher action” against marchers using the chant after last week’s attack on Jewish people in Golders Green, saying pro-Gaza marches risked having a cumulative effect of being intimidating.While the Metropolitan police already have a policy of arresting people who chant “globalise the intifada”, Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, said any further action would await an ongoing review of protest laws.Speaking on BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Polanski said outlawing the chant would overly restrict freedom of speech.He reiterated his apology for sharing a post on X that criticised police for the way they arrested a suspect after two Jewish people were stabbed in Golders Green, north-west London, on Wednesday
‘We have let them come on to our ground’: Labour fights off Green gains in Leeds
On the wide streets around Leeds’ Roundhay Park, Labour canvassers have built up a considerable step count just to walk between each of the stone-built mansions in one of the city’s most affluent suburbs.Lucy Powell, Labour’s deputy leader, is with activists in the sunshine admiring the manicured lawns and window-box pansies. This is one of the safest wards for Labour in Leeds, with graduates, doctors, lecturers and small business owners.In years gone by, voters in these houses with sweeping driveways and climbing roses would have been natural Conservatives. A short walk away is Roundhay school, the alma mater of Liz Truss, a place she amusingly tried to paint as the wrong side of the tracks
Guy Montgomery: ‘One fan took us back to his house and showed us all his guns’
‘We have to mock the site’s insanity’: comedian Tim Heidecker on the allure of becoming Infowars’ new boss
Prince’s death made me upend my life and move to his home town
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Jimmy Kimmel: ‘Trump has three wars going on right now – Iranians, Ukrainians and comedians’