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'It's A Catastrophe': Labour MP Hits Out At Keir Starmer By-Election Disaster

'It's A Catastrophe': Labour MP Hits Out At Keir Starmer By-Election Disaster

A grim-faced Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell at the by-election count. Voters in the Longsight area of Manchester, northwest England, enter a polling station, Thursday Feb. 26, 2026, as voters head to the polls in the Gorton and Denton constituency. (AP Photo/Jon Super) A Labour MP has hit out at Keir Starmer after the party’s humiliating defeat in the Gorton and Denton by-election. Karl Turner said the result – in which the party came third behind the Greens and Reform UK – was “a catastrophe”. In particular, he blamed the prime minister’s decision to block Manchester mayor Andy Burnham from being Labour’s candidate. The by-election was triggered by the resignation on health grounds of Andrew Gwynne, who won the newly-created seat for Labour with a majority of nearly 13,500 at the 2024 general election. Turner, the MP for Kingston-upon-Hull East, said: “The reality is we’ve ended up with a situation which we could have avoided, that’s just the truth. This was avoidable. But here we are, in Manchester, with the Greens. It’s the worst result the Labour Party could have ever had, frankly. “So here we are with a situation where we can’t out-left wing the Greens, we tried to out-right wing Reform on immigration and other such matters. “My message to Keir Starmer, the prime minister, is this: why don’t we try and be Labour?” Turner added: “For crying out loud, start listening to Labour MPs, start listening to people who knock the doors, who’ve been doing it for ever. “That’s the truth of where this Labour Party are. What on earth is the Labour Party doing? What on earth has the Labour Party come to? We’ve now come got the Greens in Manchester – it’s a catastrophe.” “What on Earth is this Labour Party doing? What on Earth has the Labour Party come to?” The Greens winning Manchester “is a catastrophe,” says @KarlTurnerMP . pic.twitter.com/xXpHF2q179 — Times Radio (@TimesRadio) February 27, 2026 Left-wing Labour MP Richard Burgon said “blame for Labour’s defeat lies squarely with Keir Starmer and his clique”. In a post on X, he said: “They put factional interests over having the candidate best placed to win, Andy Burnham. If Labour is to be the “Stop Reform” party, then the leadership must stop treating progressive voters with contempt - and start appealing to them. “That means a return to real Labour values - through policies like a Wealth Tax, public ownership of energy and water, and an ethical foreign policy that are all popular with the public. “And it means ditching the approach of trying to ape Reform and kicking the left, that has alienated so many people who have voted Labour previously.” Related... Greens Claim Historic By-Election Victory In Crushing Blow For Keir Starmer Tactical Voting Groups Say Greens – Not Labour – Will Stop Reform In By-Election Labour Accused Of By-Election Dirty Tricks Over 'Fictitious' Tactical Voting Group

'We can kill millions in one blow... but won't' - Melenchon calls for Cold War missile treaties amid reports UK, France to give Ukraine nukes

'We can kill millions in one blow... but won't' - Melenchon calls for Cold War missile treaties amid reports UK, France to give Ukraine nukes

"La France Insoumise leader, Jean-Luc Melenchon, said France is "capable of killing millions of people in one blow" because of its nuclear deterrent, but insisted it is not meant to be used and urged a return to Cold War-era arms-control treaties to stop states "having missiles that allow them to shoot at each other." The opposition leader argued that older arms-control frameworks made the world 'more stable and less dangerous' than today, while speaking at a rally in Lyon on Thursday. "The French say this: we are capable of killing millions of people in one blow, because we have nuclear deterrence. But that is not what we want to do. This is why we continue to say, no one should have missiles that allow them to shoot at each other. We must therefore re-establish the treaties that existed before, during the Cold War," he explained. Melenchon's remarks come amid reports from the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service claiming that Paris and London were actively working to provide Ukraine with nuclear capabilities. Kiev dismissed the allegations as 'absurd,' while France and the UK also rejected the claims. The Russian Federation Council called on the UN Security Council and the IAEA to investigate. The party leader also predicted a collapse of the current global order, warning of escalating tensions between the US and China, as well as increasing threats of 'nuclear battles'. "No one should have missiles that allow them to shoot at each other. We must therefore re-establish the treaties that existed before, during the Cold War, which was a more stable and less dangerous world than today," he underlined. Melenchon vowed to keep France out of potential conflicts with major powers, while condemning Europe for attempts to sideline Russia amid its ongoing operation in Ukraine. "We want to defend our principles to the end, we are numerous enough to prevent any occupier from trying to occupy us. You cannot occupy the French. No war, not even with the Chinese, nor with the Russians," said Melenchon. "Europeans, did you hear me? It's madness to have thrown them into the arms like that, to the other side," the LFI leader added. The comments come as Europe failed to secure unanimous approval for its 20th sanctions package against Russia after vetoes by Hungary and Slovakia, who linked their objections to halted oil deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline, denouncing what they call a politically motivated 'blockade'."

'Venezuela has never been an enemy of US' - Rodriguez calls Trump 'friend and partner', demanding end to blockade and sanctions

'Venezuela has never been an enemy of US' - Rodriguez calls Trump 'friend and partner', demanding end to blockade and sanctions

"The acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, on Thursday welcomed the statements by her US counterpart about being a 'friend and partner' of Venezuela and called for an end to the economic blockade and sanctions against the country during an event with youths in Caracas. Rodriguez welcomed the recent statements by Donald Trump during the State of the Union Address 2026 in Washington DC, where he spoke about the energy situation and relations with Venezuela, mentioning that the US had received more than 80 million barrels of oil from 'our new friend and partner, Venezuela'. "President Trump yesterday said that he was a friend and partner of Venezuela, and I celebrate and welcome that concept of Venezuela, because Venezuela has never been an enemy country of the United States," Rodriguez noted. She also stressed that her government is willing to open 'a new agenda of cooperation' with the US to overcome years of tensions and economic sanctions, which, according to Caracas, have seriously affected the Venezuelan population, especially the country's youths and workers. "President Trump, as a friend, as a partner, we are opening a new agenda of cooperation with the United States: end the sanctions now and end the blockade against our homeland, because this blockade is also against Venezuelan youth," Rodriguez said. Finally, she emphasised that the lifting of sanctions and the economic blockade by the US would not only benefit the national economy but would also allow new generations of Venezuelans to develop their potential."