Well, you can say one thing for Andy Burnham – he appears to believe his own hype. “This result will bring about a country that works fairly for everywhere and for everybody,” was his high-flown promise on winning the Makerfield by-election. It was one part election hype, one part mission statement to Labour MPs, but is also backed by self-belief.

And that’s rather appealing. We’ve been missing that optimism. That’s the point of Burnham: to embody the sense of purpose that Labour, and indeed Britain, has lacked for so long.

Labour MPs wanted a plain-talking figure to win against Reform and the Greens, one with the capacity to connect with working class voters and tell them why Labour is the answer to their problems. Now they feel they’ve got him.

But Labour MPs have defenestrated Sir Keir Starmer at a curious moment. The paradox is that in spite of the policy U-turns, poor communication and Mandelson debacle, he had actually started making things better.

Watch your step, Mr Swinney: you could be the next David Cameron

Good for Mairi McAllan, standing up for immigration

Keir Starmer’s not great, but who would be better?

It’s populism — not independence — that threatens to redefine Holyrood

The Prime Minister was the picture of dignity announcing his resignation, reminding us, ironically, why we wanted him as leader after years of Tory chaos. He claimed that his successor will inherit a country “far stronger and fairer than I inherited two years ago”. He pointed to an economy growing faster than other advanced economies, wages consistently rising faster than inflation, infrastructure being built, NHS waiting lists falling in England, major improvements in workers’ rights and........

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