- Parallel lines - 26th January 2026
- Burn bridges… - 26th January 2026
- Poll dancing - 23rd January 2026
During 23 years with BBC Cymru Wales (BBC CW), and 42 years in journalism (when he was trained to use clear and simple language, avoiding jargon) exposing hypocrisy and humbug has always been central, and now this is put centre stage by Labour declaring that the party wanted to “avoid an unnecessary mayoral election, which would use substantial amounts of taxpayers’ money and resources that are better spent tackling the cost-of-living crisis” when everyone knew it was really about blocking Andy Burnham.
The things people in power say never cease to amaze me.
They seem to want to put a spin on terrible events, despite the fact that their audience will not believe them for a second.
In their heart of hearts they must KNOW this, and that the statement these Public Relations (PR) officials are issuing is TOTAL nonsense!
Let’s look for example at the case yesterday of Andy Burnham, who is widely seen as a Labour leadership rival to Sir Keir Starmer.
As far as the hacks (and we) have been told officially, the blocking of Mr Burnham by Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) from the forthcoming Parliamentary by-election in Gorton and Denton, was because they were worried about saving the tax-payer money.
The party proclaimed that they wanted to “avoid an unnecessary mayoral election (Mr Burnham is mayor of Greater Manchester), which would use substantial amounts of taxpayers’ money and resources that are better spent tackling the cost-of-living crisis”.
Does anyone actually BELIEVE that?!
There was supposedly “overwhelming support” in the NEC meeting “for upholding clear Labour Party rules preventing mayors… standing in by-elections”.
Yet surely they must be aware that even as they robotically parrot party rules, punters will think they are really just stopping a rival to the leader!
Mr Burnham, a former minister, has enormous backing (especially on the left), and is a strong contender to take over should Sir Keir stumble further, when his opinion poll rating is already on the floor.
In the last few surveys, when pitched against Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, it has been made clear just how deep the problem is:
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Date(s) conducted
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Pollster
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Keir Starmer
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21–23 Jan 2026
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Opinium
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22%
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15–18 Jan 2026
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Opinium
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20%
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9–12 Jan 2026
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Ipsos
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26%
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Some Labour MPs are furious about what has happened, and they have said that Mr Burnham is the grass roots choice for voters (the constituency is part of Greater Manchester), and that they should have had the option of Mr Burnham on the ballot paper.
One senior Labour source who had been supportive of Mr Burnham’s candidacy roared: “They’re gambling the PM’s whole premiership on winning a very hard by-election without their best candidate. It is madness”.
The Prime Minister (PM) (perhaps unwisely, although understandably), was among those who voted to block Mr Burnham from standing.
Earlier, the Home Secretary (HS) Shabana Mahmood told the BBC that allowing elected mayors to run as candidates in Parliamentary by-elections had “organisational implications” for the party.
Yeah, right…
Phil’s memories of his extraordinary award-winning career in journalism (including political stories like these) as he was gripped by the rare incurable disabling condition Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP), have been released in a major book ‘A GOOD STORY’. Order it now!
Also on The Eye – why he has always been struck by incredible historical parallels and how slim, or non-existent, majorities can lead to significant change, and nowhere is this emphasised better than what is today coming out of Donald Trump’s America.
Tomorrow – how the launch of a major campaign by a giant insurance company, fronted by a new star instead of disgraced Welshman Wynne Evans, highlights the appalling nature of what he did.
