The Manchester mayor has never been shy about his ambitions. But is he planning to capitalise on a weakening Starmer?
Good morning. It’s been a torrid summer of getting screamed at, dumped on and generally run ragged by those who wouldn’t even be there without you. But enough about my paternity leave: today’s newsletter is about Keir Starmer’s wobbling Labour leadership, and the man some of his own MPs want to replace him in No 10.
In some ways, Andy Burnham is not an obvious candidate to replace Starmer: he is a throwback to a past Labour era, a figure once viewed as an uber-Blairite, and he’s not even an MP. But in the last couple of weeks, without any explicit challenge, the Greater Manchester mayor has been strikingly prominent. The resignation of senior aide Paul Ovenden yesterday, over offensive messages he sent about Diane Abbott in 2017, will have done little to soothe those sceptical of Starmer’s intent to use the visit of Donald Trump to reset his premiership – and story after story has suggested that Burnham is working quietly, but doggedly, to capitalise.
Far right | Downing Street has fiercely condemned Elon Musk for using “dangerous and inflammatory” language, after he told a crowd of protesters in London that “violence is coming” and “you either fight back or you die”. Police are looking for 11 people suspected of committing violent disorder at the march and have charged eight others.
UK politics | The MP Danny Kruger has defected from the Conservatives to Reform UK, declaring the Tory party “is over” and Nigel Farage is the “new custodian” of conservatism and the political right’s “last hope” of governing Britain.
UK news | Constance Marten and Mark Gordon, who caused the death of their newborn baby after taking her to live in a tent in wintry conditions to evade social services, have each been sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Technology | Jamieson Greer, a US trade representative, said on Monday that Washington and Beijing have struck a framework agreement on transferring TikTok to US-controlled ownership.
Espionage | The UK government says it is “extremely disappointed” by a decision to drop charges of spying for China against two men, one of whom was a parliamentary aide. Prosecutor Tom Little told the Old Bailey that “we simply cannot continue to prosecute” Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, without giving any reason for the decision.