My Open Letter to Andy Burnham
@andyburnham and the rest of the devious 370 MP's !
You became Prime Minister without seeking a fresh mandate from the country.
That does not automatically make your leadership illegitimate, but it places a greater responsibility on you to lead with humility, honesty and respect for the government you inherited.
The very least I expect, if you want my continued support, is for you to state clearly what Keir Starmer achieved - and then explain honestly what you are adding to what he had already begun.
Not replacing it.
Not rewriting it.
And certainly not claiming it as your own.
For two years, Keir and his government gave their blood, sweat and tears trying to repair a country damaged by fourteen years of Conservative government.
They carried the political cost.
They made the difficult decisions.
They took the criticism.
They laid the foundations.
Those two years of blood, sweat and tears cannot simply be erased because there is now a new man standing at the lectern.
You cannot walk into Downing Street after the hardest work has been done, cut the ribbon and take the applause.
That is not what a leader does.
A real leader acknowledges the people who came before him. A real leader tells the truth about what he inherited, what was already working and what he intends to add.
So be honest with Labour members and with the country.
Tell us what Keir delivered.
Tell us what you are keeping.
Tell us what you are changing.
Then tell us what you - not somebody else - will be responsible for delivering.
If you fail to do that, I do not think the Labour Party will ever fully forgive you and will certaintely loose the next election.
You may have inherited the office, Andy.
But you have not inherited the right to claim someone else’s blood, sweat and tears as your own.
Follow the story. I’ll find the turning point.