Keir Starmer has entered what might be described as the peak delusion period of what remains of his time in Downing Street. There was fresh evidence of the Prime Minister’s all-consuming divorce from political reality in his latest comments about Andy Burnham, who is widely predicted to win the Makerfield by-election today, and then go on to launch a leadership challenge to turf the PM out of Downing Street.

The PM just doesn’t get it

The PM just doesn’t get it

Anyone and everyone knows all this and more, except Starmer apparently, who called Burnham “a great asset” and said he deserved “a big role in government”. What is Starmer smoking? The only big role in government that Burnham wants is Starmer’s job in Number 10. That’s the whole point of Burnham’s return to Westminster. Any attempt to pretend otherwise merely invites mockery.

Starmer’s delusions don’t end there. He goes on to suggest that it would be wrong for Labour to hold a leadership challenge ahead of a likely election to replace Burnham as mayor of Greater Manchester which he described as “one of the biggest by elections we’ve ever fought, because of the scale of it”.

The PM just doesn’t get it. The response of those who want him out will be to suggest that the best way for Labour to hold on to the Manchester mayoralty is for Starmer to announce he is resigning. They would........

© The Spectator