By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter
There are fears the UK will drift “from bad to worse” as the “shambles” of “the revolving door at 10 Downing Street” continues with the resignation of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Those are some of the views expressed by Gloucestershire politicians as they react to the prospect of the country having its seventh prime minister in ten years.
The Prime Minister announced earlier today (June 22) that he has asked the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee to set out a timetable for a leadership contest with nominations opening on July 9. He will remain in post until a successor is elected.
Andy Burnham, the newly-elected Labour MP for Makerfield, has confirmed he will run to replace Sir Keir.
He has the backing of Gloucester’s Labour MP Alex McIntyre but Reform UK in the county say Mr Burnham has no mandate to govern the country and they want to see a general election now.
Meanwhile, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the Conservative MP for North Cotswolds, said having seven prime ministers in ten years is incredibly bad for the UK’s international reputation.
“A contributing factor to this instability is that none of them set out a real plan or vision of what they wanted to achieve for this country,” he said.
“It seems as though the Labour Party are preparing to coronate Andy Burnham as the next Prime Minister. This means that there will be no process to interrogate him as to what his vision is to achieve for our country. Exactly the same problem as the previous six prime ministers.
“All of the issues that Starmer faced will now confront the incoming Prime Minister. The British people are entitled at an early stage to know from Burnham what his plans are to solve these problems.
“My fear is that we will continue to drift, and without a clear plan our economy will go from bad to worse.
“After the economy, the next most urgent problem is how this country defends itself properly. Does all of this mean that the Defence Investment Plan will be delayed even further?”
And Cheltenham’s Liberal Democrat MP Max Wilkinson said “people are rightly sick of the revolving door at 10 Downing Street”.
“It started with the Tories giving us five prime ministers in nine years and now Labour is about to give us a second PM just two years into government – what a shambles,” he said.
“Whoever comes next must fix our broken politics and address the fundamental problems that hold our country back.
“That means scrapping the nonsensical trade barriers with the EU, tackling the cost of living crisis and dealing with the disempowerment felt by communities everywhere.”
Vernon Smith, who leads the Reform UK group at Gloucestershire County Council, said he was delighted over Sir Keir’s resignation.
“Like the vast majority of people in Gloucestershire, I’ve watched with horror as he wrecked the British economy and trashed our international reputation,” he said.
“But let me be crystal clear: Andy Burnham has absolutely no mandate to govern this country. That is why Reform UK is calling for a general election.
“The Conservatives and Labour have both presided over the decline of this great county for far too long. The British public deserves the chance to choose their next Prime Minister.
“Burnham is simply Starmer in a different suit — another failed politician with no fresh ideas and woefully underqualified for the job.
“Reform is the only party offering real change.
“It’s time. Bring on the general election now!”
But Beki Hoyland, the Green Party group leader at Shire Hall, said she did not care who wins Labour’s next “beauty contest” for Prime Minister, just that they get back to work as soon as possible to tackle the many pressing issues affecting the UK.
“We are breaking records for extreme weather faster and faster, tipping points are slipping past unannounced,” she said.
“People are struggling to feed themselves and food is becoming less nutritious and less sustainable with the profit margins for the multinationals producing it [being] the only concern while millionaires expand airports and fly around the world in private jets.”
Mr McIntyre said Sir Keir had made an incredibly difficult decision which he thinks is the right one by choosing to “put the country first”.
He said recent election results across the UK made clear that the public no longer had trust in Sir Keir as the person to deliver the change we so desperately need.
And Mr McIntyre believes newly-elected Andy Burnham is the man that can provide a hopeful vision for the country.
“The question people in Gloucester will be asking now is who is the best person to deliver the change they want to see?
“At the next general election the choice here in Gloucester, just as in many places across the country, will be Labour or Reform. Whoever takes on the role of Prime Minister next they need to set out a bold and hopeful vision that gives us something to fight for against Reform’s attempts to divide us. I believe that that person is Andy Burnham.
“Last week Andy proved that Labour can win when we listen, when we offer hope and when we offer a real alternative. Our politics and our people are crying out for a positive and hopeful vision for our country.
“I am tired of hearing people who claim to be patriots talking down the things that make this country special. We are diverse. We are different. We each have aspirations for ourselves and our families. It’s the government’s job to help us all make those aspirations a reality.
“The task ahead is huge, but I believe that Andy has the drive and the bold vision to succeed and I am backing him to deliver the change the country needs.”