'He thinks it's all over': UK papers spotlight the rise of Andy Burnham (and slag off Starmer)

THE FALL OF Keir Starmer and rise of Andy Burnham dominates the front pages across the water after yet another big day in British politics.

As ever, the tabloids lead the way in their attempts to crack jokes out of yesterday’s proceedings, with The Sun fitting in a suitably timed World Cup nod in their headline.

“HE THINKS IT’S ALL OVER,” the paper blasts regarding Burnham’s likely coronation as prime minister, before adding: “… And it definitely is for Starmer.”

The man on the way out doesn’t feature all that much, squeezed out on the papers as in political life by the former mayor of Manchester.

The Star includes Starmer on the top corner of its paper “Two tear Keir”, a reference to his emotional departure speech and trillionaire Elon Musk’s attacks on the outgoing prime minister for policing in the UK.

The same paper calls Burnham king not just of the north but also the south.

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The best reception for Starmer comes from the Labour friendly Daily Mirror, which calls him a “decent man” who tried his “very best in an impossible job”. Nonetheless, it says that Starmer’s failures were “glaring” as leader of the country.

A selfie took with Labour’s hundreds of MPs after his arrival at Westminster is across the Telegraph and the Times, which both take a more sober attitude to the day’s events.

Burnham’s local paper from where he rebuilt his political career as mayor of Greater Manchester framed its front page around the likely new PM’s journey to London via the train.

And it’s not the story on the front of the Metro that catches the eye, but the ad at the bottom of the paper by wealth management firm Quilter.

“When you’re on your fifth PM in five years, money needs a plan,” it reads.

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