As the UK’s Labor Party enters a potentially existential leadership crisis, Catherine Viette is pleased to welcome Matthew Torbitt, political commentator and former Labor Party advisor. Torbitt argues that Starmer can probably survive in the short term because Labour’s internal rules make leadership difficult. Unlike the Conservatives, Labor “don’t tend to dispose of leaders, particularly in government,” and any challenge would require “81 MPs backing a single candidate.” That means dissatisfaction alone is not enough. Opponents must unite behind a credible alternative. Manchester’s highly popular mayor, Andy Burnham, remains Starmer’s biggest threat. Torbitt frames him as the party’s most electorally potent figure — “by far and away the favorite of all Labor Party members across all stripes.” However, Burnham’s obstacle is structural: as Mayor of Greater Manchester rather than an MP, he would need to re-enter Parliament through a by-election before mounting a serious leadership bid.
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