Keir Starmer doesn’t even have many supporters in his own party. The Parliamentary party would rather see Andy Burnham, Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner or Ed Miliband in charge. What does that grim parade of non-talent have in common? They’re not Keir Starmer. Which now seems to be the only qualification Labour MPs require in a potential leader. Not being Rachel Reeves probably helps.
I’d feel sorry for Starmer if he wasn’t such a poor politician, had the slightest insight into his own limitations, and wasn’t clearly destined for a pension-boosting legal career the moment this one ends. Yet with Labour’s guns trained firmly on its own leader, the party isn’t the biggest threat Starmer faces right now. Arch challenger Andy Burnham can’t even get himself into Parliament, let alone No 10. Streeting and Rayner aren't ready to move yet.
Nigel Farage is having enormous fun dismantling the Conservative Party, one defection at a time, and remains by far the biggest threat to Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.
He may yet prove Badenoch’s nemesis, but at least she’s putting up a fight. Starmer hasn't even worked out who his nemesis is yet.
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Read more: 'Keir Starmer shows he's unfit to lead UK – stabbed every Briton in the back'
The latest threat facing the PM comes from a surprising direction. A man I haven’t written much about, but probably will in future. His name is Zack Polanski, the, er, “charismatic” leader of the Green Party.
If you know anything about Polanski, you’ll probably have heard he offered hypnotherapy to help women increase the size of their breasts using his mind. I’m not going there.
Nor will I make cheap jokes about his teeth. Given how Americans malign poor British oral hygiene, Polanski’s teeth are the most patriotic thing about him.
I'm more interested in what comes out of his mouth. Polanski is wooing the crowed by offering disaffected young people the moon on a stick. He flatters every left-wing fixation, banging on about Israel, open borders, trans politics, landlords, wealth taxes, Donald Trump, Israel, Gaza and Israel.
Occasionally he remembers he leads the Greens rather than a Trotskyist splinter group and mentions the environment.
Polanski’s great advantage over Starmer is simple. He isn’t in government. He can promise anything, say anything, knowing he won't be held responsible for it.
Farage enjoys the same privilege, just as Starmer did before the last election. As PM, he's being held responsible for it today.
Now Labour is in power, it’s constrained by reality, responsibility and delivery. It can’t whip up leftie crowds with fantasy politics or consequence-free slogans. Polanski can.
He’s siphoning support straight from Labour as activists abandons cautious technocracy for a party that indulges their political fantasies.
A mere 38% of 2024 Labour voters still support the party, according to YouGov. The Greens are easily the biggest beneficiaries. Among under-30s, the Greens lead other party, with a remarkable 37% share among 18 to 24-year-olds.
We’ll see the impact at the Gorton and Denton by-election on February 26, where Labour looks set to lose its 13,400 majority.
Polanski is about to land Starmer a serious blow, by offering disgruntled labour voters a home.
But here’s the catch. The Greens won't win. The country hasn't completely lost its mind. Weakening Labour only clears the path for Reform. Polanski may be Starmer’s nemesis, but Nigel Farage could walk away with the spoils.
