Worst Labour leader ever’s excuses vanishing like rats down a drain as LibDems hammer Tories in parliamentary by-election
Keir Starmer’s excuses for his disastrous leadership are disappearing like rats down a drain, after yet another by-election catastrophe in Chesham and Amersham last night – this time with Labour losing its deposit and receiving its lowest by-election vote-share in history.
Labour managed just 1.6% of the vote – comfortably beating its previous worst-ever result from Newbury in 1993:
Even worse for Starmer, the election was won by the LibDems – making a mockery of his excuse that Labour is doing so appallingly because of a Tory ‘vaccine bounce’. The orange non-entities gained thirty points, taking almost twenty from the Tories and more than 11 from Labour.
And Starmer can’t blame Corbyn or claim he’s suffering from a 2019 hangover, either. Corbyn’s 2017 result was 20.6%, almost thirteen times higher than last night – and even in 2019, Labour received a 12.9% share – eight times higher.
Starmer has no excuses left. He is the worst Labour leader ever and his faction’s rewriting of history just collapsed on top of him.
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Happy Days. This is the first best thing to happen to me regarding the current leadership since I flushed my card dow the toilet…much as Starmerfuhrer has done to Labour, just as he planned.
Skwawkbox doesn’t enable comments on its next article – ie, on the 11th hour sensible withdrawal of Howard Beckett from the UNITE GS contest – in favour of Steve Turner (no doubt after backroom deals have been done) . So I’ll use this comment spot to congratulate Beckett for his decision – the Left may yet win the vital UNITE GS position now – especially if Graham withdraws too ! And finally, how utterly childish and unpolitical for Steve of Skwawkbox to now refuse to recommend Beckett supporters that they vote for Turner ! Utterly pathetic behaviour Skwawkbox ! Skwawkbox has dragged itself to the sectarian journalistic depths over this vital issue for the Left. If Turner, the Chair of People Assembly, ex Militant, and with a long Left history of personal shopfloor struggle, , becomes GS of UNITE , this is a huge win for the Left – even if, in office, Turner is no more radical in action than McCluskey (ie, not very). At least Turner isn’t that stone age Right Winger, Coyne !
So ‘cos skwawky doesn’t endorse anyone else – a matter of personal choice – it’s ‘childish’ is it?
I want Everton to win the cup. If/when they get knocked out, IDGAF who wins it.
Should I then lend my support to that other shower of shite across Stanley park because they’re located in my home city?
I don’t think so.
Why do you assume that members will automatically transfer their vote to Turner? Why does Beckett assume that too?
Fair enough. So it’s on to no. 10 for the left. No, the Unions, Mayor’s, odd victory in the courts. Not much really. Does standing by one’s beliefs count for anything anymore? Apparently it’s about trivial gains.
It’s falling apart even more quickly than the JC intended.
Starmer ex-abc cultists currently claiming it is all down to tactical voting.
iancrawford, we know better don’t we?
This is hilarious, I am waiting to see what excuse Starmer’s camp put forward on the 2nd July after Labour lose Batley.
Yet as recently as 24 hours ago Hillary Benn was telling Politics Live that Corbyn’s legacy was still the main problem cited “on the doorstep” preventing people voting Labour! This is hilarious!
A strange lack of calls for Starmer to resign being reported this morning on the news shows, though…
Jeremy said Hilary Benn, Ashworth and Tom Watson are his “friends”
🥀🧬🥀🧬🥀🧬
Yes, political sociologist Paula Surridge(never heard of her) put forward the theory, on C4 News last night, that this LibDem win was due to Tory floating voters, no longer being frightened of JC – now he’s gone – and felt comfortable voting for the LibDems instead.
That made no sense to me, and didn’t explain why the Labour vote collapsed, losing their deposit as a consequence.
Perhaps it was the only way she had of shoeing in ‘it’s all Corbyn’s fault’, into the discussion, turning out ‘shoeless’ as a result.
Jackie Long gave her theory short shrift, in any case.
He’s right. It is one way of saying voted for the opposition.
Batley next
Hartlepool was the “Game”, this was the “Set” and Batley will be “and Match”.
I’ve got the popcorn on ice!
A downright embarrassing result for Starmer’s Labour. They would have done far better to not field a candidate than ‘achieve’ this result (such an action might have induced the LDs to reciprocate by not fielding a candidate in Batley & Spen).
And if Owen Jones’ article in yesterday’s Guardian is at all accurate , in terms of the major sized rejection of Starmerite Labour by the Batley & Spen Muslim community he detected during his visit , Labour is facing a truly epochal defeat itself very soon . https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/16/labour-batley-and-spen-jeremy-corbyn-scottish-voters Amusing picture in that article of that perennial opportunist, Galloway’s, election campaign poster – which simply has a pugilistically posed George Galloway (with hat) on the front and ” STARMER OUT” as the slogan !! No mention of his toy ‘Workers Party’ on George’s posters – as always – its all about George ! Though I suspect , given George’s stance on the Palestinian/Israel issue , so important to many local Muslim voters, Galloway may well seriously split the Labour vote . If Labour loses Batley and Spen it is surely curtains for the gormless Starmer. But undoubtedly he will be replaced by an even more right wing Leader – with even MORE disastrous electoral consequences. Yep – it is all over for Labour now.
The surprise huge Tory loss , and massive shift to the always opportunistic , and age old, protest vote benefiters, the Lib Dems (probably including many ex Labour voters, some tactically, some through disgust at NuLabour2 ), had a lot to do with the unlimited green belt development in the area , and the local depredations of the White Elephant HS2 rail route , as much as any ideological rejection of the Toryism in that always previously Tory area. But it is a straw in the wind for both the future of the crooked hedge-fund creature Tories around Boris Johnson – who will deliver nothing for most ordinary Tory voters , any more than for Northern ex Labour Heartland ones, as local government collapses , along with UK farming, as the dreadful neoliberal trade deals mount up – and the now clearly electorally collapsing ‘PASOKified’ NuLabou2 Party.
But, but, but, it was Corbyn’s fault and the vaccine bounce and antisemitism and only goes to prove we haven’t turned right enough yet. I currently in talks with Tommy Robinson. Starmer x
I think that he needs more flags and bigger too.
It looks like we are going to lose the Batley & Spen by election too. That should ensure that is curtains for Starmer.
The problem is who is going to be the next leader?
I hope that the SCG prioritise winning the leadership over political correctness (we don’t need a woman leader) What we need is to retake control of LOTO and this time be prepared to be ruthless and clear the deck from useless Party officials in the GLU and Regional Offices.
Hence, we need a leader with a back bone.
Sorry , but no Leftie MP will get the necessary nominations to stand, Maria – AND anyway there isn’t a single PLP Leftie with any backbone or any leadership ability . That is why the gormless Long-Bailey was the shitty candidate ‘of the Left’ in the last Leadership election ! The ‘Socialist Campaign group’ of fake Lefties has signally failed to resign the Labour Whip in solidarity with Jeremy – or actually done ANYTHING (other than a wee bit of rhetoric by Lavery and Trickett) to fight the ever faster shift of Starmer’s NuLabour to the neo Tory Right.
There is going to no new ‘Left Surge’ in Labour, Maria – ever again. It’s all over for the Party – into the metaphorical historical dustbin it goes – along with all the old social democratic parties of Europe which all so disastrously hitched a ride on the neoliberal express twenty to thirty years ago.
The real danger now is the rise of a new Far Right populist Party in the UK to take advantage, Front Nationale-style, of the ever-increasing political void opening up across the UK, as the 79 majority Tories hubristically ransack our civil society, and NuLabour2 collapses electorally as it tries to be more right wing than the Tories.
Jpenney, their is lot of what you say that I agree to. However, we have the opportunity at the very least to move in the right direction.
I believe both Clive Lewis and Barry Gardiner have a back bone. No the most appealing candidates from a purist left perspective, but I believe both of them will stop the witch hunt against the left and will commit at the very least to implement the 2017 Labour’s Manifesto.
More importantly, both have the guts to clean the right wing officials that populate Labour regional offices across the country and GLU.
No perfect but a move in the right direction, that would allow the left within the Party a breathing space and to grow its influence.
really Maria Vazquez? What has Lewis done or said re the witch hunt or any of the other Right Wing outages? Anyway think you should celebrate that yet again the “Left” prefers to cave in to Right Wing pressure. Odd too when despite all her own wrongdoings Pritti Patel is STILL in place. Hopeless!!! Yes resume your campaign now for the Labour First Luke Akehurst Sir Starmer Mandelson Blair and other degenerates’ choice of TurnerCoyneGraham.
Why not resume your praises for Lewis, Mandelson whom i recalled u praising him for being oh so smart, and Blair for being so charismatic.
11,000 plus votes to 622 does not dent your doubt in your pattern. You have a knack for being the fan girl of the definition of Same Old Same Old THIRTY or FORTY years long.
“Long game” indeed
For the record, exactly like Sir Starmer, Ummuna, Berger i have little regard for Gardner and Lewis. What u perpetually paint as pragmatism is cowardice, a poverty of conviction and a failure to learn. That is the “Left’s” KEY problem.
You exhibit it with great spirit and energy. Of course not weird like Allan Howard White Flag Man.
Hope you all enjoy celebrating with SH and Starmer. You achieved your aim.
🥀📛🥀📛🥀📛
I’m happy to be back in agreement with you Maria.
John, happy too that we are.
Singpost, for your information Clive Lewis stood as witness for Marc Wandsworth and was the only member of the SCG to openly support Chris Williamson when the Labour whip was suspended from him, proving he has a back bone that others in the SCG lack.
Now Clive is keeping quiet, what would he achieve by opening his mouth? Clive and other members of the SCG are walking a very thigh rope. If they go too far the Labour whip will be withdraw and they could even face to be suspended from Party membership. What will that achieve? Nothing
Better to wait for the right moment and be ready to take the opportunity, in my opinion, clearly no in yours.
Clive Lewis with most of the SCG have voted against Starmer’s three line whip plenty of times in the recent months and so has Barry Gardiner although in his case no a member of the SCG.
The lowest Labour has ever polled in a by-election, mid term when government is at it’s weakest and in just the sort of constituency that Starmerism is supposed to appeal to.
Next campaign slogan ‘STRONGER TOGETHER”allegedly used by Hillary Clinton in her successful campaign!! The slogan was also used in the Scottish Independence campaign
.
Perhaps it should read ‘FOR THE FEW NOT THE MANY’
Warning for Starmer. This election result shows that in the home counties, hard right socially conservative policies aren’t what they want. You need a complete rethink, not just a new old Clinton slogan.
Labour managed just 1.6% of the vote – comfortably beating its previous worst-ever result from Newbury in 1993:
According to the table shown it was Winchester in 1997 with 1.7% and 944 votes but which is still better than Chesham.
And Starmer can’t blame Corbyn or claim he’s suffering from a 2019 hangover, either. Corbyn’s 2017 result was 20.6%, almost thirteen times higher than last night – and even in 2019, Labour received a 12.9% share – eight times higher.
In terms of votes, 2017 was in fact Labour’s best ever result in Chesham with only a 0.3% lower share than 1974’s 2nd GE (20.9% and 10,325 votes).
Look at this result as part of Max’s political worldview. A lot of his political bedmates did well in a GE in another country.
Ah, but wait and see, Sir Kier is having a policy review, urged by figures like Peter Mandleson to unite Britain. After all, ‘we’re all in this together’. (!!)
‘stronger together'(SM comment above) ‘we’re all in this together’, ‘unite the country’ , ‘more in common’etc all slogans aimed at severing the working class from independant actions to defend it’s rights, living standards, jobs wages etc in the face of constant attacks and instilling nationalistic thinking that benefits the corporations and rich, and deludes working people into thinking that their interests align with the interests of this parasitic class, who of course are infact, in it for themselves.
Carlene, I predict the policy review is going to work like a bucket of sick.
Next time Nelson Mandelson could offer hhm..ports for votes.
But it’s all to play for according to Centrist Dad!
By 10,30 this morning The Sun has yet to mention the election result.
Blair and Starmer in cahoots with Murdoch…….. Interesting reading https://www.doubledown.news/watch/2021/june/15/the-media-conspiracy-behind-the-murder-of-daniel-morgan
LOOSER!! LOOSER!! LOOSER!
He’s a bit of a looser that Sir Keir Rodney Starmer –
It’s not just Starmer that is the loser but the Labour Party itself which is imploding Greek style. Hard to see why anybody would vote for a vacuum that has nothing to say.
Too True Paul. Pasokification of the Labour Movement has always been Sir Keir’s purpose.
But it’s not just the immense reduction in Labour’s vote that makes him a loser (thanks, timfrom), it’s that his failure to oppose the most corrupt Conservative Government ever (esp on Police Bill and Coronavirus) actually makes him an enabler of neoliberal corruption (just as the billionaires instructed him).
Paul, their is opportunity in crisis if we know how to grab it.
Let Starmer collapse more and more and be prepared to state very clearly that we aren’t going to accept a ne0-libdem for leader of the labour party, because it would be tool down for us. If the Party all that offer us in the form of leadership is stale bread.
On a choice between Stella Creasy, Yvette Cooper and Starmer I am going to be tempted to vote for Starmer, as to accelerate the process of the right losing more and more of its influence within the Party.
After all is the seats of right wing MPs that are at stake. We have a dichotomy in the Labour Party:
The majority of the membership is progressive
While the majority of the PLP is right wing
It stands to reason that if the left prioritise retaining socialist MPs we are going to be able to return them all to Parliament, Should we care than MPs like Jess Phillips lose their seats?
(Ahem) Loser
Looks like Starmer’s doing really well on the job the Establishment put him in charge of … destroying the Labour Party.
The extraordinary thing is that NOBODY in the LP is seriously seeking to replace Starmer. There’s nothing there, a great Silence and a little fidgeting. This is how a once great Party disappears, it just fades away like snow in the sun.
“Stronger together” of course applies to the members of the Trilateral Commission and NATO. It has nothing to do with us.
Have some sympathy. Starmer is still in mourning for Nuttyyahoo.
BLAIR WITCH (hunt) Project 3 providing a horror movie of epic proportions.
About time left MPs called him out publicly on this humiliation.
They ought to make a lot more noise than the MSM are about it. Had Corbyn overseen that capitulation…
Mr Starmer has had time to prove himself. Now he has to go.
Signpost, you are a bare face liar; unless you are having a mental break down or already hopelessly drank this early on the day.
Find me the post when I have praised Mandelson or Blair, because I never have.
Chill out , Maria, baseless slanders do annoy – BUT, like that great mythmaker, Donald Trump, Signpost isn’t bare facedly ‘lying’ (in his own mind) – just presenting ‘alternative facts’ – sourced entirely from his own internal fantasy world. But go easy on him – its a mental health problem. He obviously mistook you for someone else entirely in that strange, baseless, rant. But he is right about the unsuitability as a Left Leadership candidate of either Barry Gardiner or Clive Lewis !
Maria Vazquez, i will find it i due course. On more than one occasion you have posted on Skwawkbox.org that Blair was “charismatic”. You also praised Mandelson saying he was smart or clever. Will search in time and post it to jog your memory. It may be a deliberate memory lapse though, seeing that you made a statement a day or two ago in your campaign for Turner that i had some exchange with you re “People’s Vote”. Worse yet the bizarre idea that YOU were right about “People’s Vote” and i was not. Bare faces liar you. Everyone knows i saw Remainiacry as an OBVIOUS trap for Jeremy. Yet YOU Maria Vazquez was a Remainiac Enthusiast pumping your usual premature reactions to your IMAGINED horror about what the Right Wing would do.
You also repeated the same recommendation of Clive Lewis today. You have said several times before that the media won’t attack him. I responded saying that it was an eg of a poverty of convictions to choose our leaders not by our aims but by the MSM’s approval. I asked what exactly then is our purpose.
I scanned some stuff you posted yesterday and today and it included the same pathetic obsession about what you fear the Right Wing MIGHT do. It is people like you who blocked Jeremy into his own obsession with avoiding what he sees as conflict.
You Maria Vazquez are the barefaced liar. Fancy someone campaigning for Turner in league with SteveH davidH etc??? Luke Alehurst’s choice No wonder Beckett gave in. He probably thought he could not endure the constant pathetic timorous drivel you call “pragmatism”. Wha a joke. I always imagine you sitting at your kitchen table trembling of huge grids of all the fears you can imagine.
I hope the grassroots group has the insight to keep u away from them… not even as an observer. Soul sapping and a liar too.
📂🖍📂🖍📂🖍
Signpost, I was never a remaniac, while I supported remain on 2016, I never supported the People’s Vote and was in favour on enacting Brexit as promised in our 2017 manifesto.
To say that Blair was a charismatic leader it doesn’t mean that I agree with Blair at all. It means that he was very good at manipulating the electorate, the same with Mandelson.
We will be able to defeat our enemies when we are able to appraise them in their strength rather than dismiss them without a second though.
Who would you rather have as Labour leader: Clive Lewis or Barry Gardiner or Angela Rayners or Yvette Cooper?
I agree with Jpenny that neither Lewis nor Gardiner are ideal from a socialist point of view, but who else do we have that would be able to fend off the attacks of the MSM? You don’t appear to be able to come with alternative names of whom could be the next leader.
Ideally, I would like Beckett but, since Beckett isn’t a labour MP he cannot stand for the leadership of the Labour Party.
You might be surprise that I would like Beckett for leader of the LP but while Beckett wasn’t going to win the GS position in Unite. He could win the leadership of the Labour Party, the only problem: he needs to be a Labour MP first.
“Antigonish” by Hughes Mearns
“Yesterday, upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn’t there
He wasn’t there again today
I wish, I wish he’d go away…”
Starmer to a T.
What has actually happened is debatable. Doubt it’s just an expression of distraction with Labour, more a united effort to show distraction with the Conservatives, who lost this seat for the first time ever.