Keir Starmer Says Goodbye

Summary

Newscast: "Keir Starmer Says Goodbye"

BBC News | July 15, 2026
Hosts: Adam Fleming, Chris Mason, Alex Forsyth

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on Keir Starmer’s "long goodbye" as he steps down as Prime Minister, following his final Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) and ahead of Andy Burnham taking over as Labour leader and PM. The hosts examine Starmer’s legacy, the emotional atmosphere in Parliament, and the political dynamics of the transition. They also discuss the passage of key legislation and Starmer's personal departure rituals, providing listeners with insight into the human side of high politics in Westminster.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The End of an Era: Keir Starmer’s Last PMQs

[04:44–06:29]

• Adam Fleming and Chris Mason reflect on the “end of the Starmer era,” though noting Starmer remains PM until Monday and will stay on as MP.
• Chris Mason recalls similar moments, like Tony Blair’s departure, emphasizing the emotion and sentiment Parliament can muster during such transitions.

“You couldn’t have a PMQs like this every week. But Parliament can do sentiment and emotion and the human touch.”
—Chris Mason [05:15]

• The discussion underscores that, despite being a formal process, such moments are highly charged and memorable for Parliamentarians and observers alike.

Warmth, Humor, and Humanity in the Chamber

[06:29–10:05]

• Starmer responds to light-hearted football comparisons and jokes, keeping the tone buoyant amidst the gravity of his farewell.
• The Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch, and others opt for a gentle, almost jovial tone, focusing on tribute more than critique.

“There was one kind of moment…her final question…she just used that to pay tribute to his family.”
—Alex Forsyth [07:05]

Emotional Farewells and Personal Tributes

[08:41–10:05]

• Kemi Badenoch thanks Starmer’s family for their sacrifices.
• Starmer reciprocates, referencing moments of personal kindness from Badenoch during difficult times, such as an arson attempt on his home and his brother’s death.

“The kindnesses that sit behind it privately are often just as powerful, if not more powerful.”
—Keir Starmer [09:36]

• Many in the public gallery—including families Starmer aided as PM or MP—underscore the personal connections behind the political role.

What Next for Keir Starmer?

[11:08–12:07]

• Starmer’s team signals he’ll continue supporting victims’ families and justice campaigners from the back benches.
• Causes like the Hillsborough Law, violence against women, and domestic crime will remain his focus.

The Human Cost of Political Exit

[12:07–13:27]

• Chris Mason describes visible emotion among Starmer’s staff as their “political project” ends, noting the intense personal investment political teams make.

“It’s a really big moment for [party staff]…their political project, if you like, that they’ve devoted their recent years to is ending.”
—Chris Mason [12:44]

The Labour Mood Shift

[15:13–17:15]

• The hosts observe how quickly Labour’s mood became supportive and unified once Starmer announced his departure, even among MPs recently critical of him.

“Almost as soon as he announced he was going to step down, the whole mood in the Labour Party shifted.”
—Alex Forsyth [15:30]

• They discuss the complex emotions in the party: relief, gratitude for Starmer’s revival of Labour, and the difficulty of separating personal from professional response.

Signature Legislation: The Hillsborough Law

[17:37–20:34]

• The episode details the passage of the Hillsborough Law (Public Accountability Bill), demanding candor from public institutions, with personal resonance for both Starmer and Burnham.
• Andy Burnham, although absent from the day’s PMQs, was present for the legislation’s passage—his history aligning closely with justice for Hillsborough victims.

“You see the intersection, if you like, of two politicians who have made promises to the families of the victims of the Hillsborough disaster.”
—Chris Mason [18:16]

Shaping the Starmer Legacy: Safeguards for Teens on Social Media

[20:34–21:50]

• New policies include an optional social media curfew (midnight–6am) for 16-17 year-olds and measures against addictive content.
• While intentions are praised, debate continues about the measures’ effectiveness.

The Next Government: Cabinet Speculation

[21:58–24:23]

• Andy Burnham’s tight-lipped approach to Cabinet appointments, especially Chancellor—debate centering around Ed Miliband.
• The political and personal dynamics influencing Burnham’s key appointments, amid rampant Westminster speculation.

The Final Goodbye: Starmer’s Leaving Gifts

[24:23–27:05]

• The Cabinet presents Starmer with a vintage silver carriage clock—a personal gesture referencing his father’s love of clocks and Starmer’s own reputation for punctuality.
• The clock is engraved:
  “Change promised, change fought for, change delivered. Thank you, Keir. The Cabinet.”
• Two bottles of wine (“one English sparkling and one Pinot Grigio”) are also given as parting gifts.

“Keir Starmer is an absolute sort of bloke for timekeeping. He cannot stand people being late.”
—Chris Mason [26:27]

Reflections on Political Ritual and Human Connection

[27:05–27:40]

• Hosts share lighthearted banter about commemorative gifts, highlighting how personal quirks and traditions linger even in major political transitions.
• The episode closes with a renewed call for listener submissions to their "supporter reporter" segment—a reminder of the show’s blend of serious politics and community connection.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On emotional farewells
  “This is the end of my political journey.”
  —Keir Starmer [13:50]

• On human connection in politics
  "The kindnesses that sit behind it privately are often just as powerful, if not more powerful..."
  —Keir Starmer [09:36]

• On the Labour Party’s mood shift
  “Almost as soon as he announced he was going to step down, the whole mood in the Labour Party shifted.”
  —Alex Forsyth [15:30]

• On signature legislation
  “You see the intersection, if you like, of two politicians who have made promises to the families of the victims of the Hillsborough disaster.”
  —Chris Mason [18:16]

• On leaving gifts
  “Keir Starmer is an absolute sort of bloke for timekeeping. He cannot stand people being late.”
  —Chris Mason [26:27]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Keir Starmer’s Final PMQs: [04:44–06:29]
• Humor and Personal Tributes: [06:29–10:05]
• Starmer’s Next Steps & Staff Emotional Farewell: [11:08–13:27]
• Labour Party Mood Shift: [15:13–17:15]
• Hillsborough Law & Legacy: [17:37–20:34]
• Teen Social Media Safeguards: [20:34–21:50]
• Cabinet Gossip, Chancellor Speculation: [21:58–24:23]
• Starmer’s Leaving Presents: [24:23–27:05]

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Conclusion

"Keir Starmer Says Goodbye" offers an intimate, insightful look at the close of one political chapter and the start of another. The episode blends Westminster analysis with rare glimpses of affection and humanity, revealing how even at the highest levels, politics remains deeply personal. For those wondering how legacy, loyalty, and emotion mix behind the scenes, this Newscast episode provides a timely tour through power’s poignant transition.

Transcript

[Adam Fleming]

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[Adam Fleming]

Supporter Reporter is hurtling to its conclusion guys.

[Alex Forsyth]

Ooh, yeah.

[Chris Mason]

So

[Adam Fleming]

wow. Alex is really enthusiastic about this game. Is it because you didn't get the job of being England's supporter reporter?

[Alex Forsyth]

That's exactly why I actually am brimming with enthusiasm as always.

[Adam Fleming]

Here are the latest entrants. So we've got a message from Jackie and Ned. They say my wife Jackie and I lived in Bosnia and herzegovina for nearly nine years between 20 and 2022. Although we're now living in Albania, we still consider Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sarajevo in particular our Druka Kucha, which is second home. Jackie and Ned say we're regular listeners to newscast and thanks very much to the whole team for keeping us up to date on what's happening in our Puravakucha, our first home. Please sign me up as supporter of Porter Zamjievi, the Dragons of Bosnia Herzegovina. That was like doing duolingo.

[Alex Forsyth]

Amazing.

[Chris Mason]

Impressive. Well, it sounded like impressive pronunciation at the end there. It may not have been, but it sounded it.

[Alex Forsyth]

Oh, you did well. You did well.

[Chris Mason]

Thank you.

[Alex Forsyth]

I've got another one. This one is from Gareth, he says, dear Newscast, I live and work in Ivory coast, though home. Home is the Scottish borders, with Scotland out. Sad. He didn't say that. I did. I switched my support to England. Good luck. I'm happy to be your supporter reporter for Ivory coast to Cote d'. Auvoir.

[Adam Fleming]

And today's final installment comes from Necati, who says, I'm a Turkish national living in High Wycombe and I'd like to nominate myself as your Turkish supporter reporter. I was so excited that Turkey qualified for the World cup after so many years. It was 2002 and my second year of school as a nine year old when we used to watch Turkey matches on a black and white television with my friends and teacher. The excitement was back this time as I got up in the early hours to watch their matches live again. While I was gutted they were eliminated so early, I'm happy to transfer my support to the Three Lions. My partner and I listen to your podcast religiously every night. Keep up the good work, Necati. Thank you very much. And congratulations to you, Gareth and Jackie and Ned for filling three of the last few slots in supporter reporter. Would you like to know the tally of what we've got left?

[Chris Mason]

Oh, yeah.

[Adam Fleming]

There are four countries left to collect because it's like a sticker album tour in progress.

[Chris Mason]

Oh, yeah.

[Adam Fleming]

Which means we still need entries from Uruguay and Algeria.

[Chris Mason]

Okay, newscasters in Uruguay and Algeria. This is your moment, isn't it? This is fantastic.

[Adam Fleming]

This is your moment. To email newscastbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 033-01-239480, but only after you've listened to

[Alex Forsyth]

this episode of Newscast, Newscast, Newscast from the BBC.

[Keir Starmer]

I will resign as leader of the Labour Party.

[Alex Forsyth]

And what will you do?

[Chris Mason]

Stare at a wall? Humanity's next great voyage begins.

[Alex Forsyth]

You know, I like my buses.

[Adam Fleming]

I'll come on to them.

[Chris Mason]

It's supposed me as a doctor.

[Alex Forsyth]

Ooh la la.

[Chris Mason]

Thinking about it like a panto helped.

[Alex Forsyth]

Do we play music now or what do we do?

[Adam Fleming]

Hello, it's Adam in the newscast studio.

[Alex Forsyth]

And it's Alex in the Westminster studio.

[Chris Mason]

And it is Chris in a different studio also in Westminster.

[Adam Fleming]

So you're in different cupboards in the same office.

[Chris Mason]

That's it. Yeah, but they're quite small cupboards so that it'd be a bit cosy if we were both in the same one. I think that's the logic of this.

[Alex Forsyth]

Yeah, it makes sense. And they're quite warm cupboards too. At least mine is.

[Chris Mason]

Yeah, this one is as well, actually. Yeah.

[Adam Fleming]

How the sausage is made in a series of very small factories. Right, today's episode, we're gonna look at Keir Starmer's long goodbye as Prime Minister. Because we're recording on Wednesday just after lunch. So it's been Prime Minister's questions. And that really felt, Chris, like the end of the Starmer era. But actually it was just the end of the Starmer parliamentary era. Cause he is actually still Prime Minister until Monday.

[Chris Mason]

Yeah. And he'll still be an MP after that. So there's every likelihood we will see him in Parliament after that. But certainly his parliamentary career as Prime Minister has now come to an end. I've rattled around at Westminster for probably longer than is healthy, on and off, mainly on, for more than 20 years. And, you know, you remember these moments. I remember Tony Blair's final Prime Minister's questions. That was particularly big. Big, given the longevity of his time in office at 10 years. But, yeah, you know, you see that in these moments, the kind of gears that Parliament has. You know, you couldn't have a PM Qs like this every week. But Parliament can do sentiment and emotion and the human touch. And I think to an extent that was perhaps magnified this time round with the news of the last few days involving Anne Widdicombe, because it's another thing that brings people across politics together, that shared sense of vulnerability, frankly, and her death, the murder investigation featured in the exchanges. But there was absolutely an undercurrent of sort of warmth and humour. Those who contribute towards the. The jokes and the punchlines, I think across the piece, pretty much had a pretty good week in terms of the lines that they drew up. And the lines were pretty well delivered as well. So, no, it was one of those ones that was a privilege to. To watch and watch and witness.

[Adam Fleming]

And here is Keir Starmer responding to a obviously comedy topical question about football from the Conservative MP Graham Stewart, who compared the Prime Minister to Jude Bellingham.

[Keir Starmer]

The first and secondly, probably last time I'll be compared to Jude Bellingham, but I thank him for that. And on the question of red cards, I can't tell him how much incoming I had a week ago Monday after President Trump intervened for their red card for me to get the England red card adjusted. Just for the record, Mr. Speaker, I didn't attend.

[Adam Fleming]

So that's the football gag out the way. Alex, what about the exchange with the Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenok?

[Alex Forsyth]

Yeah, just worth saying that wasn't the only football gag throughout the whole of PMQ's. There were a fair few, as you might expect. But, yeah, I mean, I think always quite interesting what tone the opposition parties and also the Prime Minister choose to strike on a day like this, because it has differed, if you look back at sort of final PMQs for previous leaders over recent years. But Kemi Badenokta there, I thought. I mean, she was. Her whole tone was quite gentle, I suppose, jovial. She was sort of. There were lots and lots of jokes and gags in there. She didn't really kind of use the opportunity, as Leader of the Opposition often does, to attack the record of the Prime Minister, like you'd expect at a normal PMQs. And there was one kind of moment in it where, right towards the end, her final question, when she knew it would be the last time that she faced Keir Starmer across the dispatch box in that format, that she just used that to pay tribute to his family. Because we know that when Keir Starmer left office, or said he was going to leave office in his speech in Downing street, the thing that he became choked up and emotional about was when he spoke about his family and what they mean to him and the support they've given him. And I thought it was the fact that Kemi Badenoch used her last question to him to thank his family for the support that they've given the Prime Minister and recognise that actually, it's often the families of politicians that have to bear a lot of the brunt of the choices that their loved ones make by going into politics in the first place. So the whole tone from Kemi Badenoch, but also actually from Ed Davy, leader of the Liberal Democrats, Richard Tice, Deputy Leader of Reform uk, stood up and posed a question and the whole tone of it was not really like a normal PMQS in any way, shape or form. It was all very friendly, I suppose.

[Adam Fleming]

And we can get a flavour of that exchange between Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenok right now.

[Alex Forsyth]

This is my last exchange with the

[Chris Mason]

Right Honorable Gentleman and I know how

[Alex Forsyth]

much his wife and children mean to

[Chris Mason]

him and that they are in the gallery today.

[Alex Forsyth]

As everyone here knows, our families make

[Chris Mason]

a huge sacrifice for our choice to enter public life. So I hope he will allow me to draw our time together to a close by thanking them for the love and support they have given him throughout his time in office. Hi, Vanessa.

[Keir Starmer]

Can I thank her very much for that? It is the last question I'll face from the Leader of the Opposition and so let me wish her well and her family. We have had robust exchanges across this dispatch box. But she has extended kindness to me privately at very difficult times, including when there was an attempt to burn down our family home, which deeply affected my family, she reached out to me. And when my brother died of cancer, she reached out to me privately, not across this dispatch box. And I thank her for that and the tribute that she's just made to my wife and children who mean the world to me, I do thank her for that. She knows this is robust and it has to be robust, and that's the way politics is done. But the kindnesses that sit behind it privately are often just as powerful, if not more powerful, and I thank her for that.

[Adam Fleming]

And also, Chris Keir Starmer refers to this a few times. People he has helped as Prime Minister were watching from the public gallery.

[Chris Mason]

Yeah. And I think this has been a theme actually much of the last week for the Prime Minister. So the wider context of the conversation that was dominating Westminster on Tuesday, the so called Hillsborough Law and some of the families of the victims of the Hillsborough disaster in Westminster to see the Prime Minister were part of a gathering in the Downing Street Garden that was seeking to champion and acknowledge those who the Prime Minister is proud to have helped in his time in government and indeed sometimes as his time as Director of Public Prosecutions. And he was peppering his observations and his answers today with reference to people who were in the public gallery or in Parliament more widely listening and watching who he felt that he had been a help to, either as a constituency MP or as a Prime Minister. So, yeah, many of the answers circling back to one of those examples.

[Alex Forsyth]

And it's also just worth saying on that point, after PMQs and it happened this week, as it normally does, you have like what's called a little huddle with the Prime Minister's political team who try and impart a bit more information to journalists about whatever the government's up to. And there was a question in that huddle when he was when the spokesperson for Keir Starmer was asked, you know, any plans for what Keir Starma is going next? And that actually pointed to what he said in recent days when he's met campaigners against injustice and he has said to those campaigners that he's going to continue fighting for them effectively from the back benches, which is where he'll now be. And it was interesting that his kind of political team pointed to that, not as a kind of definitive and, you know, we don't know what Keir Darm is going to get up to Next. But clearly, as one of his priorities is going to be, I think, to continue championing the causes of those people. So, yes, the Hillsborough families, but also people who've campaigned against violence, against women and girls or knife crime or domestic violence, those issues, it seems to be that he's going to attempt to keep them quite high up his own personal priority list when he departs Downing Street.

[Chris Mason]

The other thing I think worth acknowledging on a day like this, I was sitting in the press gallery looking down at the Prime Minister's political bench, which is where some of his advisors, not MPs, but advisors who work for him in Downing street sit, and plenty of them at the end were in tears. And it's a reminder that for those in this postcode who are drawn into this postcode, often with a deep seated sense of pride in their party and then often real human connection with perhaps a leader that they work for, that the nature of those jobs, working in Downing street or working in so many jobs in politics, it is all consuming, but also driven by emotion. And when you reach a point like this, which for Keir Starmer is the end of the political road, it also is for those wider bunch of aides and advisors who not only themselves are losing their jobs, but for whom their political project, if you like, that they've devoted their recent years to is ending. So, you know, you see that in a very vivid and human and quite affecting way on days like this. I've seen it with, you know, parties of different political stripes. It's a, it's a really big moment for them.

[Adam Fleming]

And there was tears amongst the parliamentarians too, particularly Carolyn Harris, the Labour MP who asked the final question. And she's got a lot of history with Keir Starmer because she was his first parliamentary private secretary as Labour leader. So basically the person that helped him navigate Parliament in those, those first years or so in, in that job. And she teed him up for his, his final answer, which was this.

[Keir Starmer]

Every Prime Minister knows when they take up the torch that the day will come when they have to pass it on. That day has come. For me, this is the end of my political journey.

[Adam Fleming]

So the person who's receiving the torch, Andy Barnum, although he hasn't received it yet, wasn't there.

[Chris Mason]

He wasn't. I don't think we should be surprised by that. I think there is a. There'd be a sort of emotional recognition that it was Keir Starmer's day today. And obviously a, to put it gently, a significant contributor to today coming about is Andy Burnham. And there is clearly, in that context, you know, it's difficult. It's clearly difficult for the. For the Prime Minister. So I think from Andy Burnham's perspective, even if he had been there and just sat in his seat, our gaze and the camera's gaze would have tilted towards him. There were several references to him during the course of the exchanges. So I. It didn't surprise me. And, you know, I can't think of anyone in that scenario, the scenario that Andy Burnham finds himself in, who would consider it a good idea to have been in Parliament today, given that this was a sort of warm valedictory occasion for Keir Starmer, rather than the very different nature of how politics will look and feel in terms of our storytelling on newscasts and elsewhere at the beginning of, well, the end of this week and the beginning of next.

[Alex Forsyth]

And it's remarkable, just in terms of that warm valedictory point, it's remarkable, and this is true of many prime ministers, how quickly the mood shifts when a Prime Minister is outgoing. If you just think where we were really just a matter of weeks ago before Keir Starmer announced his resignation. And the mood in the Labour Party at that point was fraught, and it was angry and it was frustrated and it was spilling out in public. And some of the MPs who were sat on the backbenches today to be there to support Keir Starmer were the very ones that were calling for him to go. And then almost as soon as he announced he was going to step down, the whole mood in the Labour Party shifted. And they've been sort of attempting to present this very united front around Andy Burnham. And I think you just saw that really today kind of solidified in the way that the tone and the feel that was coming from the Labour benches in that almost as soon as Keir Starmer said that he wasn't going to kind of stay and fight or try and challenge any successor, that he was going to do this kind of exit, the whole mood in the parliamentary party towards him shifted, and it was on full display today. And it was kind of overwhelmingly a feeling of support coming from the Labour benches, as opposed to some of the other feelings that have, let's be honest, been on public display in the months leading up to this point.

[Chris Mason]

And I think it's not necessarily, certainly for all of those just picking up on that point. Alex, a contradiction. I'm not suggesting you were saying it was, but it's not necessarily a contradiction to have wanted to see the Prime Minister go for the whole Host of reasons that lots of Labour MPs would tell us, privately and publicly, effectively amounting to them just thinking that he was a drain on their support, but then also, on a human level, feeling sorry for him, feeling conflicted at the drawbacks, as they might see, of going through a leadership change. And then also, as plenty of Labour MPs of every sort of instinct will say, that he dragged the party off the canvas after that big loss in 2019 and made them competitive again and won a. And won a general election. So it's one of those ones where, if you like, the tangle of emotions, the personal and the professional, all sort of bubble out, really.

[Alex Forsyth]

Yeah. And I think also just a sense that you get from some in Labour at this point, of having reached this point, there's a bit of relief after what has been a really fraught and difficult run. And they are, I think, at this stage again, and we don't know what's going to happen in the next months and years, but they are, at this stage, I think, feeling a little bit relieved that they are feeling, at least very outwardly, like a united party in the way that they weren't very recently.

[Adam Fleming]

And, Chris, just going back to something you said a minute ago about the actual government business that Keir Starmer is overseeing. So the Hillsborough Law, as it's known, which is this public accountability bill, which will basically give a duty to all public bodies to tell the truth and cooperate with any investigations when they're accused of getting something wrong. And we'll also introduce criminal penalties for people who run organizations in the public sector if they haven't been candid. That is an area where Andy Burnham has shown his face and actually talked about, and he was in Parliament on Tuesday night as this piece of legislation was going through its final phases in House of Commons.

[Chris Mason]

Yeah. And what's fascinating about this is that you see the intersection, if you like, of two politicians who have made promises to the families of the victims of the Hillsborough disaster. A Prime Minister in Keir Starmer, who has in recent years led the Labour Party to its annual conference in Liverpool, which has been happening in Liverpool for the last handful of years on the trot, where promises have been made about delivering this Hillsborough Law, this duty of candor for public officials. The whole thing got bogged down in particular around whether or not there should be exemptions for those in the security services. In the end, they've managed to find a way through that that acknowledges the, you know, particular nature of the security services work, but does not exclude intelligence Officers from the obligations of this. This law, once it becomes a law, it's not a law quite yet. The Prime Minister clearly keen to deliver on his promise before he left office. And I got a sense of the human side of that when I was chatting to the daughter of a guy who died at Hillsborough, who said to me as she was going in to see the Prime Minister yesterday that, you know, she was very sceptical when she first met him. She'd been let down by government after government, et cetera, et cetera. But she was hugely, personally warm to him because she said he had, in the end, kept his promise. And I think on a human level, that really meant something to the Prime Minister. Yes, the Conservatives made the point that they felt the whole thing had been rushed because the Prime Minister wanted to get it done, certainly at the Commons level before he left office. And then it's impossible not to point to the strength of Andy Burnham's politics being grounded in the Hillsborough disaster and his role as Culture secretary back in 2009, addressing the annual service at Anfield, Liverpool's ground, that was the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster. The work he did since then. And so Andy Burnham making his first Commons contribution since his return on this piece of legislation that means so much to him and so much to the guy who'll soon be his predecessor.

[Adam Fleming]

And, Alex, another part of the Starmer legacy. This new. I was gonna say clampdown. It's not really a clampdown on social media. New safeguards for teens on social media. We got some more details of some new safeguards today.

[Alex Forsyth]

Yeah, so one part of this would be a curfew, so that from midnight to 6am you can't be on your phone and just endlessly scrolling through social media. The doom scroll and. And this kind of some sort of mechanism, and I'll be honest, I don't fully understand it, but to limit the amount of those kind of particularly addictive videos that just get pumped through to your social media feeds. So that has been announced by government, but it's important to note there's quite an active conversation about how effective that may or may not be, with the government clearly suggesting that they think this is the right call, but others saying because you can opt out, basically that would be the default setting on your phone. These are for older teenagers, so 16, 17 year olds, they could opt out of it and just, you know, not have the curfew applied on their phone. So, you know, as with all of this, there's a pretty active debate around the effectiveness or not of it, whether it is the right approach. But it is interesting that what you're seeing, and again, this is true of prime ministers of all colors when it comes to the point in which they leave office. They are trying to shape and build their legacy and they want to. To put in place things that they want to be remembered for. And I think that is undoubtedly a bit of what we're seeing from number 10 this. This week.

[Adam Fleming]

And, Chris, in terms of Andy Burnham's personnel, it seems he's appointed three people as Chancellor, depending on which paper you read. But there's only one desk and one job.

[Chris Mason]

Well, this is it. Yeah. I mean, I think what's been quite interesting in the last couple of weeks with Andy Burnham is that, broadly speaking, things have been very, very tight. You know, there hasn't been leaks, he's done very little in public. That Commons appearance stood out because there's been so few public appearances. He did one interview with Andrew Maher on lbc, which was relatively short given the volume of questions there is for somebody who's days away from becoming Prime Minister. He's not taking any journalistic questions beyond that, as far as I'm aware of. And, yeah, there hasn't been. There's a vast industry of kind of guesswork, frankly, about the cabinets. Lots of people playing fantasy cabinet. In fact, I was at one of the Westminster summer drinks parties the other night, and the fantasy cabinet was the dominating conversation in which lots of people were assembling plausible arguments for why person X might get job Y. But you could hear the equal and opposite from the next person you spoke to delivered equally plausibly. The interesting thing here is the extent to which they have managed to keep things tight or frankly, that they just haven't told many people anything yet. And I think it is more of the latter than the former. On the specific of Chancellor, the central question in his Cabinet assembly that Andy Burnham faces is who does he make the chancellor? And part 1B of that question is, does he give the job to Ed Miliband? Is it Ed Miliband or is it someone else? And the argument you hear from those who would like it to be Ed Miller Band is that he knows the treasury, he used to work there as an advisor, he knows how to run a government department, he knows his own mind and he can deliver. And that he's sympathetic to Andy Burnham's overall political agenda. And he was really pivotal in saying to the Prime Minister pretty early on that he ought to stand down, et cetera, et cetera. Those who are skeptical say he's got far too many enemies. He lost the German election as Labour leader. He manages to have political opponents in the trade unions as well as in the oil and gas sector over his skepticism around expanding drilling in the North Sea. And he'll be a giant lightning rod because the papers that are skeptical towards Labour sort of like to sort of throw custard pies in his direction. So that's the essence of the argument that is raging at the moment. And Andy Burnham's got to come to review in pretty short order.

[Adam Fleming]

And as we depart this episode of Newscast, we should talk about Keir Starmer's leaving present from the Cabinet. Alex, A carriage clock. One of those little posh clocks you put on your desk or mantelpiece.

[Alex Forsyth]

Yeah. And I think when the new. I can't remember who first reported this, but one of the news. Was it. Was it Patrick Maguire who first reported this? Anyway, I think it was. Anyway, one of the newspapers first reported this late on Tuesday night that it was a carriage clock. And I think it was met with a little bit of mirth on social media because it is deemed to be a sort of the fairly traditional leaving present that you give.

[Adam Fleming]

But actually it's what people would get in 1970s sitcoms.

[Alex Forsyth]

That's what I mean. It's just sort of. It's one of those leaving presents that has in the past been the punchline of many a joke. But it turns out that actually this was quite a thoughtful present for Keir Starmer because apparently his dad had a real fondness for clocks. So there was a sort of familial link there, something that felt quite personal to him. And we are told by number 10 that it was a silver clock from around 1920, which was made by Dent, the British clock making firm responsible for building Big Ben, and included a plaque engraved with change promised change, fought for change delivered. Thank you, Kia. The cabinet. And it must be quite a big clock. I mean, it must be if it's

[Adam Fleming]

got that or a small writing.

[Alex Forsyth]

Or maybe the plaque isn't on the clock. Maybe the plaque sits next to it.

[Chris Mason]

Good point. I'm not sure.

[Alex Forsyth]

Thought I haven't got that level of detail to hand. I'm just speculating. But yeah, we are told that the whole last Cabinet meeting with Keir Starmer and his Cabinet was, you know, a sort of fairly emotional affair and that this was a very gratefully received present. And David Lammy, who's the Deputy Prime Minister, paid tribute to Keir Starmer in the final Cabinet meeting. And sort of spoke about his personal attributes and the stuff that he's done in politics. So. Yeah, and I mean, I think that, again, it sort of speaks to the point that we were making earlier and that Chris Criorley made, which is that there has just sort of been this shift in mood, and I think that is kind of almost inevitable and that happens in politics. But the mood today is undoubtedly just really supportive of Prime Minister, of Keir Starmer as Prime Minister, from all of the people that have worked alongside him. I think that's definitely what they're trying to get out and across.

[Chris Mason]

The other thing on the clock, by the way, and I've heard this from several Cabinet folk in the last couple of years, is that Keir Starmer is. Is an absolute sort of bloke for timekeeping. He cannot stand people being late. And I think he reflected on that with a smile, not least because I think one or two Cabinet ministers have found themselves on the wrong end of that, when they might have turned up with a coffee in their hand 30 seconds late, not even realizing that. 30 seconds late, but, my goodness, the Prime Minister realized it. So that was an element of the warmth around the clock, as well as that family connection to his dad.

[Alex Forsyth]

He also got two bottles of wine, one English sparkling and one Pinot Grigio.

[Adam Fleming]

Pinot Grigio. Is this 2006?

[Chris Mason]

We've just come forward 30 years from that carriage clock, guys.

[Adam Fleming]

All I'll say is, please don't get me a clock. Just vouchers will suffice.

[Chris Mason]

I reckon you've got one already. Have you got a carriage clock already, Adam?

[Alex Forsyth]

No.

[Adam Fleming]

It doesn't really fit with the vibe of my flat.

[Chris Mason]

Does it not?

[Alex Forsyth]

You couldn't turn it down, though. If we presented you with an engraved carriage clock, surely you'd put it prior to place flat match or not? No.

[Chris Mason]

We'll start a wit round, Alex, this afternoon.

[Adam Fleming]

Also, I've now made it sound like I'm leaving.

[Alex Forsyth]

Oh, yeah.

[Adam Fleming]

No current plans.

[Chris Mason]

No current plan.

[Adam Fleming]

Right, Alex, thank you very much.

[Alex Forsyth]

Pleasure as ever, Chris.

[Adam Fleming]

Thanks to you too.

[Chris Mason]

Cheers.

[Adam Fleming]

And that's it for this episode of Newscast. Just a reminder, we're looking for two last supporter reporters from Uruguay and Algeria. Newscastbc.co.uk or you can WhatsApp us on 033-01-239480. And I absolutely love hearing where people ended up or gone to or come from or visited. It's such a nice little treat alongside some quite epic football as well, which is going to get very, very, very epic. By the time you're listening to this episode of Newscast. Right. We'll be back with another one very soon. Bye bye.

[Alex Forsyth]

Newscast, Newscast from the BBC. From one newscaster to another, thank you so much for making it to the end of this episode. You clearly do, in the words of Chris Mason, ooze stamina. Can I also gently encourage you to subscribe to us on BBC Sounds? Tell everyone you know. And don't forget, you can email us [e-mail] or if you're that way inclined, send us a WhatsApp on 033-01-239480. Be assured, I promise, we listen to everyone.

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