It’s probably the best reason for the NEC to say no.
“How about we don’t sacrifice two labour positions unnecessarily for the sake of one man’s ambition?”
It looks like the NEC has rolled over and will allow Burnhan to stand for nomination to the local labour party to stand.
As for point two. Reforms won all of the seats in the local elections so it is not a given that Burnham will win. It will be a big test on whether the public want him as a labour leader. If the local electorate says no then the nation will probably be heading the same way.
We live in interesting times.
Foreign interference in our election process?
Overseas fakers using AI videos to push a narrative of UK decline, BBC finds - BBC News
If burnham comes second - he will blame Starmer.
If he comes third or lower - it will kill the hubris
Don’t know is monster raving looney party are standing but would be funny if they beat burnham.
Would be amusing is Starmer visits the constituency to campaign for the Labour candidate.
I’ve tailored my Facebook algorithm so it thinks I’m very right wing, so I get to see what’s posted. Overseas or otherwise, the amount of absolute nonsense that gets posted and shared is unreal. It’s quite terrifying how much people are prepared to believe.
We’re not talking about news being interpreted badly, just out right fake nonsense.
How could you do that to yourself?
It’s bad enough just seeing the relatively normal nonsense; so much so that I barely ever bother to even feel curious about what’s on Facebook these days, let alone check it.
I think it’s important to see it, to actually understand why some people are going the way they are. It’s interesting to see the narratives being thrown around. I think it’s also an important element to check I’m not in my own political echo chamber, see what the other side is saying, and then I can appreciate what I agree with even more.
My Instagram goes the other way. I get some pretty crazy posts from the extreme left. Funny given they’re both Meta, so you’d think this wouldn’t work.
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Agreed. The biggest problem thus far is that people haven’t understood just how bad the influence campaigns are because you only see them if you’re an intended target.
There’s another side to the coin too, but it’s about denigrating those aforementioned targets while masking the true scale of what they’re seeing.
It’s petrifying and why I think media channels, especially social media channels, need incredibly tight controls. We have literal enemies of the state deliberately stoking hatred and division.
“Foreign influence in elections” doesn’t really captured the intensity or urgency of the threat.
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It took the tories 14 years to reach this level of chaos & incompetence.
Labour has been far more efficient & effective & done it in two! 
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Is there any central data held for when Cllrs resign, get kicked out/removed etc etc, or is it done on a council by council basis?
I would be intrigued to see the numbers per party since the recent election! With some of the stories I’m reading, it’d make for some entertaining reading too I think!
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I don’t think Burnham needs to resign as mayor until he has a seat in parliament. Much like two of the MSPs recently elected, who were MPs and MSPs temporarily until yesterday when they took the Manors of Northstead and the Three Chilterns respectively to resign their commons seats.
I’d expect a similar principle where Burnham retains his mayoralty unless he is duly elected MP, at which point he’d give up the mayoralty and trigger the by-election. If he loses in Makerfield, he stays on as GM Mayor. The bigger question would then be, what next for Labour?
I think in a bit of a bind either way.
If he wins there is a messy leadership contest.
If he fails to win the by-election then it’s probably a lame duck government until the GE - but they might have a messy leadership contest anyway.
With hindsight he should have been allowed to stand and fight Denton anyway.
Then been shunted off to a difficult ministerial brief. Traditionally that was Northern Ireland, not sure for these days!
I would also expect him to lose it in 2028 if that happens, not sure people would be happy with him trying to leave.
The LGA should be able to provide stuff like that. Just be aware that it isn’t non-partisan but controlled by the party with the most councillors / councils (I’m not sure which).
So that’s the thing. Labour had 14 years to prep and ready themselves, and their policies, for their ‘moment’ to hit the ground running.
They hit the ground alright, but it was face first!
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Even the [s]Grauniad[/s] Economist agrees now.
Edit: Can’t we use strikethrough anymore? I’m sure that is how I’ve done it before?
This is the economist, no? A bit more to the right than the Guardian?
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Oh, yeah. I always get those (and the Indy / Observer) mixed up.
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