Andy Burnham leads the pack of potential future replacements for Prime Minister Keir Starmer in new Savanta polling of British voters about leadership qualities, The House can exclusively reveal.
While there is currently no vacancy either in the Labour leadership or 10 Downing Street, Labour insiders have speculated that a battle for the top job could come sooner rather than later, given the challenges faced by Starmer and his government.
Leadership candidates must be sitting MPs, which Greater Manchester mayor Burnham is not. But his return to the parliamentary party via a by-election has been floated as a possibility by allies, and he has not denied that he could seek a Westminster seat.
Angela Rayner was tipped to be Starmer’s most likely successor before she resigned as deputy leader and deputy prime minister. She now sits on the backbenches.
Discussing a forthcoming book by investigative journalist Paul Holden titled The Fraud: Keir Starmer, Morgan McSweeney and the Crisis of British Democracy.
Downing Street’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, who was the director of the Labour Together think tank, undated image (PA)
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Holden’s book will contain allegations of irregularities concerning what he calls “a secret unlawful fund” and more than £700,000 of hidden donations to a think tank run by McSweeney.
These revelations are potentially dangerous for McSweeney. Far more importantly, they may impact viscerally on Starmer himself.
This is because, according to Holden, the purpose of McSweeney’s think tank, misleadingly called Labour Together, was to supercharge Starmer’s path to Downing Street.
Once Starmer was installed in No 10 he rewarded McSweeney by making him Downing Street chief of staff.
The Tory Party is now claiming that new evidence has come to light that “raises the question of whether a criminal offence has been committed”.
In a letter to the Electoral Commission, Tory chairman Kevin Hollinrake makes the devastating allegation that the “funds were used by Labour Together in a sustained political campaign to bring down Jeremy Corbyn and secure the election of Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour Party”.
This is especially significant because official records show Starmer did not declare any support from the group in the official Commons register.
Under the Commons code of conduct, MPs are required to declare support worth more than £1,500 designed to help their “candidacy at an election for parliamentary or non-parliamentary office”.
To put the charges made into plain English, the Tories are in effect accusing McSweeney of arranging a secret slush fund to launch Starmer into Downing Street.
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Hundreds of demonstrators carrying flags, banners gathered at Placa de Sant Jaume to protest the recent killing of Palestinian journalists in Gaza during Israeli attacks in Barcelona, Spain on August 27, 2025. [Lorena Sopena – Anadolu Agency]
Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni and AP Executive Editor Julie Pace on Thursday renewed calls for accountability on the one-month anniversary of Israeli strikes on Nasser Hospital in Gaza that killed five journalists, Anadolu reports.
“On the one-month anniversary of the Israeli strikes on Nasser Hospital in Gaza, we renew our demand for a clear account from the Israeli authorities and urge the government to uphold its obligations to ensure press freedom and protection,” the editors said in a joint statement.
The strikes killed Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri, visual journalist Mariam Dagga, who worked for AP and other outlets, and freelance journalist Moaz Abu Taha, whose work appeared in Reuters.
“We remain devastated and outraged by their deaths,” Galloni and Pace said.
They stressed that “the strikes that killed them occurred at a hospital, a location protected under international law and one that was widely known to be crucial for news coverage out of Gaza.
“These journalists were acting in their professional capacity, doing eyewitness reporting,” the statement said. “An incident of this gravity requires a prompt and clear explanation, followed by accountability and concrete actions to ensure such attacks are never repeated.”
More than 200 journalists and media workers have been killed in the region since Oct. 7, 2023, according to different media watchdogs, which the editors described as “an alarming toll that underscores the escalating risks for those reporting on the ground.”
“We again call on the government of Israel to explain the deaths of these journalists and to take every step to protect those who continue to cover this conflict,” the statement said.
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Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAVote Labour for Genocide.
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People take part in a march held in support of Palestine, takes place before the football match between the national football teams of Italy and Israel in UEFA Nations League in Udine, Italy on October 14, 2024. [Michele Novaga – Anadolu Agency]
Israeli newspapers and cross-media reports reported that Israel temporarily escaped expulsion from the European Football Association (UEFA), after intense diplomatic pressure was exerted by American and Israeli officials on the federation’s leaders, in light of increasing calls to exclude Israel from European competitions due to the war on Gaza.
Israeli media and several reports have confirmed that Israel has temporarily escaped expulsion from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) following intense diplomatic pressure from US and Israeli officials. The push comes amid growing calls to ban Israel from European football competitions due to its ongoing military campaign in Gaza.
UEFA had been expected to discuss the possible exclusion of Israel under pressure from Qatar. However, that move was postponed after strong diplomatic intervention.
According to political analyst Trita Parsi, who posted on X, the United States — although not a UEFA member — played a direct role in lobbying European officials to prevent the suspension from being added to UEFA’s official agenda.
As a result, Israeli clubs will continue to participate in continental tournaments, as Maccabi Tel Aviv is scheduled to play its Europa League match against the Greek team PAOK Thessaloniki as scheduled.
Reports said that a series of behind-the-scenes talks involving diplomats, football officials, and influential sports figures in Europe helped reach this temporary compromise.
Meanwhile, a group of advisers at the UN Human Rights Council has called for Israel to be excluded from both UEFA and FIFA. However, the council does not hold any formal authority over international football bodies.
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Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAVote Labour for Genocide.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAVote Labour for Genocide.
