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Starmer, Burnham and the narcissism of small differences

20 20
26.01.2026

Andy Burnham’s bid to stand as an MP – and Keir Starmer’s decision to block him from doing just that, means this has been an exciting weekend for news about blokes in glasses. Only yesterday, one bloke in glasses (Starmer) stood accused of doing the dirty on another bloke in glasses (Burnham), because he suspected the second bloke in glasses of planning to do the dirty on him. On the face of it, though, these blokes in glasses are both very much on the same team, and want only the best for one another.

As well as the glasses and the nondescript air, both these blokes in glasses have the same selling point

Let me explain. The first bloke in glasses is extremely unpopular, because of the job he has been doing, and he is increasingly paranoid that the second bloke in glasses wants to do this job that has made him extremely unpopular. He may not be wrong. At the moment, the second bloke in glasses is rather popular. He imagines, perhaps, that if he had the job of the first bloke in glasses, he would continue to be popular. (Some of us are giving plenty good odds against this proposition.)

The second bloke in glasses, because they are both very much on the same team and want only the best for one........

© The Spectator