Sir Keir Starmer must accept that his premiership is effectively over following Labour's catastrophic defeat in the Gorton and Denton by-election, according to a senior political commentator. Writing in the Daily Mail, Dan Hodges argues that the Prime Minister's broadcast after the result showed a man whose fight has finally been knocked out of him.
Labour MPs who messaged Hodges as the result became clear insisted that Starmer had no warning of the scale of the defeat. 'He really thought we had a chance,' one told him. 'That's why he came to the seat to campaign. He never dreamt we'd come third.' The by-election saw Labour pushed into third place, behind the Greens on the Left and Reform UK on the Right.
Hodges says the entire British electoral landscape has become a no-go zone for the Prime Minister, with local elections, Welsh elections, Scottish elections and future by-elections all likely to result in humiliation. He argues that Starmer should accept his fate and set out a clear timetable for his departure, with Labour's conference in September offering an optimum moment for an orderly transition.
If Starmer does not go voluntarily, Hodges writes, the Cabinet and Parliamentary Labour Party must force him out. He says the Prime Minister is 'utterly despised by the electorate' and that any policy shift would make no difference while he remains at the helm. Potential successors including Andy Burnham, Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting and Al Carns should be given time to set out their stalls, he adds.
