'It's Chaos': Readers on Labour Infighting, Tory Defections and Britain's Broken Political System
Our community sees the Burnham by-election row and Suella Braverman's defection as the latest symptoms of Britain's broken politics, warning that Labour is increasingly mirroring the Conservatives it once opposed.
Independent readers reacting to the latest political upheavals say Britain's system feels broken, with many describing a landscape dominated by control, cynicism and diminishing trust.
A Repetitive Cycle of Political Decay
Across the comments, there was a strong sense that politics is stuck in a repetitive cycle – and that Labour is increasingly behaving like the Conservatives it replaced. That broader frustration fed directly into reactions to Labour's decision to block Andy Burnham from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election.
For some readers, the move symbolised a top-down, managerial approach to politics, with a popular figure sidelined for strategic reasons. Critics said it echoed the kind of internal control and factionalism voters had come to associate with the Conservatives, rather than the change Labour promised.
This sense of political decay was reinforced, readers said, by Suella Braverman's defection to Reform UK. Many viewed her move – the latest of several Conservative defections to Nigel Farage's party – as evidence that Reform is less a break from the past than a continuation of hard-right Conservatism.
Constant Change is Chaos
One reader captured the mood succinctly: "We're on our fifth prime minister in ten years, so let's go for it again. A new PM, a new administration – it'll take them a few years to find their feet and all will be fine. This is pie-in-the-sky thinking. It's chaos. Chaos under the Conservatives, and now chaos under Labour."
The same reader continued: "And Reform offer proper change. It'll be change all right – maybe not the change people wanted – but it'll be change. So let's roll the dice and see if Burnham can change things around. It's a huge gamble."
Voters Resent Being Told Their Choice is Barred
Another significant theme emerged around voter resentment at being told who they can and cannot vote for. "Of course they will lose this by-election," argued one commenter. "The voters do not like being told who they can't and can vote for. The spurious reasons for banning Burnham are also another factor. People do not like injustices within the political system."
Another reader added: "I don't think Starmer can afford another U-turn, particularly when what is evident is just a personal vendetta."
Electoral Reform is the Real Red Line
Perhaps the most consistent demand from readers was for fundamental electoral reform. One commenter invoked Einstein's definition of madness: "According to Einstein, the definition of madness is repeating the same thing over and over in the hope that it will work when it never has. This is my verdict on rule by minority duopoly."
They continued with a clear proposal: "If they want to try something really radical to earn support, how about reform of the voting system? Members and a large number of non-affiliated outsiders would back it alike."
Another reader made the connection between electoral reform and political homelessness explicit: "Suella Braverman says she had no home in British politics. Fifty-one per cent of the electorate have no home in British politics. I believe the reason is the archaic first-past-the-post system, which has returned minorities time after time."
They concluded with a powerful statement: "A clear, unequivocal statement that they would reform the electoral system with full proportional representation is needed. That's my red line and why I cannot vote Labour or Conservative."
Reform is Simply the Hard Right of the Conservatives
Many readers expressed scepticism about Reform UK representing genuine change. One commenter described Braverman's move as "another from the hard right of the Conservatives on the 'chicken run'."
They elaborated: "One thing to keep in mind is that Reform are far-right Conservatives, predominantly coming from the Conservative Party and now split away from it. It is essentially the Conservatives of the hard right – the Conservatives who caused excessive damage to the UK during the Conservative administrations from 2010 to 2024."
The same reader catalogued what they saw as Conservative failures: "They are the weird Conservatives that have a knack for ineptness: creating more debt, a revolving door of prime ministers, turning a blind eye to corporate corruption, covering up corporate pollution of UK rivers and coast, infrastructural neglect."
Unity Matters More Than Personal Ambition
Not all criticism was directed at the political establishment. Some readers expressed disappointment with Andy Burnham's actions. "Very disappointing from Burnham," wrote one. "This act alone will prevent him from gaining support in the future. As regards the so-called 'rebels', this is a serious situation we are in. Unity is important."
Another reader took a more pragmatic view: "Burnham is subject to a set of rules. He applied for a dispensation from those rules. The rules apply to him and were affirmed. The dispensation was not granted. The calculus, I am sure, was that it was better to risk losing the by-election than the mayoralty."
They urged focus on government achievements: "The whiners should stop being so internecine and get behind the government. Police reform, leasehold reform, school curriculum improvements – big stuff is going on which should be championed."
Farage Isn't Fascism, But the System is Rotten
One nuanced perspective addressed concerns about Nigel Farage's movement: "It proves that Farage's gang are not really fascists. They are simply a new Tory party which is willing to go just a bit further than the old Tory party with regard to immigration and other traditional issues."
The same reader identified the real problem: "Their main strength is the widespread, and justified, disgust with our constipated two-party system. Prime Minister Farage, no more than Prime Minister Badenoch or Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, would ever dare defy the hedge fund bosses or any other billionaire financial oligarchs."
They concluded with a warning: "Our putrefying political system is well capable of giving rise to a fascist movement, but Farage is not it. If he was, we shouldn't be talking about opinion polls, but about violent resistance."
Labour's Perpetual Malcontents
Some readers defended the Labour leadership's decision regarding Burnham. One described objectors as "a group of perpetual malcontents on the left of the party who oppose Starmer whatever he does."
They argued: "The decision to bar Burnham from standing this time (for the sound reasons that he committed to serve a full term as mayor and Labour can't afford to lose the mayoralty) is supported by many other MPs, but that is never mentioned."
The same reader questioned Burnham's political judgment: "Burnham has been incredibly arrogant and entitled in this, and that will grate with voters. I don't think he's the shoo-in for either this election or the leadership that he thinks he is."
Overall, readers argued that the Burnham row and Tory defections point to the same fundamental problem: a political system that feels closed, toxic and increasingly removed from the everyday life of the electorate. The consensus suggests that without meaningful reform, particularly of the electoral system, voter disillusionment will only deepen.
