Overview
- David Lammy said Monday that Keir Starmer will not set a departure timetable and urged colleagues to stop the party’s “own goals.”
- Wes Streeting, who quit as health secretary last week, said over the weekend that Brexit was a “catastrophic mistake” and that Britain should one day rejoin the EU.
- Lisa Nandy publicly rebuked Streeting for “reopening the Brexit wars,” while Andy Burnham said there is only a long‑term case for rejoining and that he will not campaign on it in Makerfield.
- Nigel Farage and Reform UK, polling second in the Leave‑voting seat, are casting the by‑election as a choice between stricter borders outside the EU and Labour moving back toward Europe.
- Josh Simons formally vacated the Makerfield seat Monday via the Chiltern Hundreds process, with Labour applications closing the same day and the NEC set to endorse a candidate Thursday; Burnham must win to re‑enter Parliament and then secure 81 MP nominations to trigger a leadership contest.