How Can Keir Starmer Stay On After Burnham Blocking?

After Andy Burnham was blocked to stand as an MP, Ali Milani asks: How can Keir Starmer still be Prime Minister if he hands Gorton and Denton to Reform.

In the week unwrapped Ali and Zoe discuss if the UK a surveillance state! Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced new sweeping powers for Police including 40 new live facial recognition vans and the use of AI to track down criminals. Shabana Mahmood has said that forces are “fighting crime in a digital age with analogue methods”

Then they break down Home secretary Suella Braverman's defection to Reform UK. In a not so shocking move, another former Tory MP has jumped ship and joined Nigel Farage’s Reform, with Braverman stating that she “feels like she's come home”

After this they round up the segment by discussing Keir Starmer's trip to China. The broadcast of the meeting was all smiles and positivity from Xi Jinping and the PM. As the so called special relationship with the US looks and more and more unreliable, is the UK turning to China for security guarantees?

For the first big topic the two discuss Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham being denied by the NEC to stand as an MP in the Gorton and Denton by election. The official Labour leadership line is that Burnham was blocked due to the cost and risk of also running a mayoral election. However, many would claim that the decision was instead about concerns over Burnham challenging Keir Starmer as PM.

Labour retained a sizeable 13,413 majority in Gorton and Denton at the 2024 general election, with 50.8 per cent of the vote. However, this was down substantially from the 2019 result, when the party held a 22,175 majority and 67.2 per cent vote share.

Reform came second, with 14.1 per cent of the vote – a 9.2 point increase on 2019 – while the Greens came third, with 13.2 per cent (up 10.7 points). The turnout was also down from 61.7 per cent to 46.8.

Nigel Farage’s party has unveiled right-wing activist Matt Goodwin as its candidate to contest the seat. Speaking at a party press conference in the constituency, Mr Goodwin said: “This by-election is a referendum on Keir Starmer.

“It’s a chance for the hardworking law abiding tax paying people from this seat to have their say on Keir Starmer and to make political history.”

To round up the show Zoe and Ali discuss the several killings by ICE in Minnesota, including Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Trump has signalled 'more relaxed' federal tactics in the state but is there an end in sight to Trump's spiralling authoritarianism?

Hosts: Ali Milani and Zoe Grunewald

Producer: Hugh Smiley