New PM soon?

[The Red Baron]

Rumours at Westminster that Andrea Leadsom is pulling out.

[Colemans Left Hook]

Rumours at Westminster that Andrea Leadsom is pulling out.

more skeletons in the closet than bones in any crypt

[Donnywolf]

Rumours at Westminster that Andrea Leadsom is pulling out.

Confirmed by BBC - Only one contestant now .... the Pro Europe TM who now has to negotiate a good deal to get us out

[Filo]

The candidates that were eliminated from the contest earlier must be well pissed off, I wonder if anyone will relaunch a challenge? Perhaps Boris will revive his bid?

[BillyStubbsTears]

This is beyond belief. Both major parties are in utter chaos.

Surely, there'll have to be a General Election to confirm May as PM after this clusterf**k.

[Filo]

This is beyond belief. Both major parties are in utter chaos.

Surely, there'll have to be a General Election to confirm May as PM after this clusterf**k.

Well, if May has any sense she'll call a general election straight away,  while Labour are in total meltdown

[Muttley]

This is beyond belief. Both major parties are in utter chaos.

Surely, there'll have to be a General Election to confirm May as PM after this clusterf**k.

Well, if May has any sense she'll call a general election straight away,  while Labour are in total meltdown

That could see the Right split between UKIP & the Tories, plus Labour voters defecting to UKIP.

Nightmare scenario!

[Colemans Left Hook]

This is beyond belief. Both major parties are in utter chaos.

Surely, there'll have to be a General Election to confirm May as PM after this clusterf**k.

"Norfolk in chance"  straws at clutching

by the way if Junker doesn't leave "horizontally" more pressure will come to remove him

[idler]

I think that the Lib Dems would benefit more than UKIP.
Surely neither Farage or Boris can have any meaningful role in politics after the fiasco of the last month.

[Lipsy]

I know that we can't really trust polls these days, but the last one I saw had Labour and the Tories neck-and-neck, with UKIP doubling its support since the last GE. It's not exactly hard to imagine that support for the 'Kippers has increased since the referendum.

Dear God, a coalition between the Tories and the 'Kippers... 

[Copps is Magic]

The Tories aren't in meltdown. They are the winners here.

The most important interview in all of this was from that guy who funds UKIP a few days ago. He basically said if May is the next PM and dilly dallies over brexit, as is almost certainly likely happen due to the years of negotiation we need to enter, UKIP will have a reason to exist and go on as it is. If the leave deal gets done quickly, they will form a new party according to him.

UKIP will play on ensuring brexit happens and taking votes of 'dis-enfranchised' traditionally labour voters. Keeping the tories in power.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Talk about life imitating art.

Both main parties are like that old Thick of It special, where the PM resigned and the spin doctors went mad trying to figure out someone to back as new leader, going through every second rate non-entity they could think of.

A quarter of the Parliamentary Conservative Party thought Andrea Leadsom was suitable PM material. But she's taken her ball home after two days of aggro, complaining about the morality of the Press and bullying from some colleagues.

No shit Sherlock? What exactly did she expect the very pinnacle of politics to be like? And what exactly did those who voted for her see in her as a leader?

Meanwhile, Labour...well, where to begin?

What a f**king shambles. Historians will be writing entire books in this past month for the next 500 years. There's never been anything remotely like this.

[The Red Baron]

This is beyond belief. Both major parties are in utter chaos.

Surely, there'll have to be a General Election to confirm May as PM after this clusterf**k.

May has been pretty clear she doesn't want a GE because of the uncertainty it would add to the Brexit uncertainty. Tactically it would make sense to call a GE, because of Labour's position.

A GE now, when no-one really knows who the Labour leader is, could cost them a lot of seats. In contrast the Tories are already uniting behind May.

[idler]

I feel as though there isn't enough talent in Westminster to form a competent credible government if you chose contenders from every party.
I don't think that politicians' stock has been so low for a long time.

[Filo]

Was Leadsom a team rider in the Peleton, protecting and ensuring the main rider wins?

[MachoMadness]

Not surprising. I'd be astonished if the only reason Leadsom got this far wasn't because of tactical voting by May supporters.

[Colemans Left Hook]

Talk about life imitating art.

Both main parties are like that old Thick of It special, where the PM resigned and the spin doctors went mad trying to figure out someone to back as new leader, going through every second rate non-entity they could think of.

A quarter of the Parliamentary Conservative Party thought Andrea Leadsom was suitable PM material. But she's taken her ball home after two days of aggro, complaining about the morality of the Press and bullying from some colleagues.

No shit Sherlock? What exactly did she expect the very pinnacle of politics to be like? And what exactly did those who voted for her see in her as a leader?

Meanwhile, Labour...well, where to begin?

What a f**king shambles. Historians will be writing entire books in this past month for the next 500 years. There's never been anything remotely like this.

BST you are a genius mentioning ART  i'm sure you know

the bricks in the private wall of the art world are starting to losen as well

 trouble at mill for this family who have the power* to control the catalogue raisonee for French artists (* destroy any alleged french fakes submitted to them)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/12081281/Wildenstein-art-heir-stands-trial-for-half-billion-euro-tax-fraud-in-Paris.html

as we know the whole world is in a right MESSI situation

[RedJ]

I love how you always post some random link with vague, tenuous links to the thread.

Genuinely highly amusing.

[Lipsy]

Was Leadsom a team rider in the Peleton, protecting and ensuring the main rider wins?

Wittingly or unwittingly, she almost certain was. Quite why they wanted May in the top job is interesting, though she was only a lukewarm Remainer. I believe the real power merchants - Murdoch, Dacre, Desmond and co. wanted her as well - very interesting indeed. We shouldn't be too surprised - Murdoch has called in (and out) every PM for as long as he's had the clout to do so.

[Lipsy]

Given the direction of travel our country appears to be going in, perhaps this is why they wanted her in the top job... It's been a rum few weeks for British politics.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/theresa-may-what-the-mp-set-to-become-prime-minister-believes-on-human-rights-a7130861.html

[The Red Baron]

Was Leadsom a team rider in the Peleton, protecting and ensuring the main rider wins?

Wittingly or unwittingly, she almost certain was. Quite why they wanted May in the top job is interesting, though she was only a lukewarm Remainer. I believe the real power merchants - Murdoch, Dacre, Desmond and co. wanted her as well - very interesting indeed. We shouldn't be too surprised - Murdoch has called in (and out) every PM for as long as he's had the clout to do so.

If you look back, Boris appeared to have pulled out because Gove did the dirty on him. However the "leaked" email from Sarah Vine (aka Mrs Gove) suggested that he couldn't rely on the backing of Murdoch and the Mail.

As soon as Boris was out the Mail and the Murdoch press swung behind May. The journalist who skewered Leadsom was from The Times and although on the face of it Leadsom appears naive and thin-skinned, I suspect it was the tip of the iceberg.

I do find it a little odd the the Mail, which was very stridently pro-Brexit should swing behind a Remainer. No doubt things will become clearer in time.

[Filo]

And now we are to get an unelected PM, maybe the Labour Party could learn a lesson here, Corbyn stands down and a more voter friendly leader steps in, and if they win an election that leader stands down and Corbyn becomes leader again, unelected, but in power, just like we're getting now

[Lipsy]

Murdoch always gets his (wo)man. ALWAYS.

[MachoMadness]

Interestingly May seems to be borrowing a lot of Labour policy proposals. What a time to be alive.

[glosterred]

And now we are to get an unelected PM, maybe the Labour Party could learn a lesson here, Corbyn stands down and a more voter friendly leader steps in, and if they win an election that leader stands down and Corbyn becomes leader again, unelected, but in power, just like we're getting now

The Labour Party already know this lesson, it happened when Brown took over from Blair

[Lipsy]

Interestingly May seems to be borrowing a lot of Labour policy proposals. What a time to be alive.

I wouldn't read much into her words. Her actions speak much louder...

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/theresa-may-prime-minister-andrea-leadsom-policies-voting-record-human-rights-what-did-she-mean-a7130961.html

[BillyStubbsTears]

Interestingly May seems to be borrowing a lot of Labour policy proposals. What a time to be alive.

Ever thus with the Tories.

Osborne did it on Austerity. He preached Austerity, but from 2013/13, he effectively ditched it and running a spending programme that was very similar to what Balls had been demanding (whilst of course, claiming he hadn't and therefore claiming that the mini-revival that we had was vindication - and he got away with it because the media commentators were too far behind the curve to realise.)

That's politics. It's not about what you actually do, it's about how you sell yourself. That's the tragedy for Labour at the moment. Labour's core membership is blissfully unaware that that is how the game works.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

The right choice in my opinion, but you have to question why she entered if not ready.

May would have been my pick anyway now she has to get to work and what a lot to do.

[Filo]

She should call an election, she demanded that when Brown inherited the job, citing that he had no mandate from the electorate

[Lipsy]

Yup, can't wait for our new boss to get cracking...