Watch the moment ex-Labour MP Karl Turner launches a furious tirade about the state of his party ahead of Sir Keir Starmer’s departure as Prime Minister.
Speaking to GB News, the Independent MP said the outgoing Labour leader “wasn’t capable” of effectively carrying out the job.
Expressing his support for Andy Burnham, who will become Prime Minister on Monday, Mr Turner told GB News: “I’m a fan of Andy Burnham, I was in his campaign team in 2015.
“I’m not one of these newbies who promises to keep Keir Starmer and write public letters, and then clambers into the Parliamentary Labour Party office to nominate him at the soonest opportunity.”
Mr Turner stressed that Mr Burnham is “down to earth” and a “normal guy”, but what really matters is his “delivery” of Labour policy.
He said: “I’m a fan of Andy Burnham. He’s down to earth, he’s a normal guy, he’s working class, pulled himself up by his boot strings actually, and got to Oxbridge and did very well and then chose a political career.
“But he’s got some sensible stuff to say, and I think it doesn’t matter who’s in his Cabinet, it doesn’t matter who the personalities are, it won’t matter what the policy is, what really truly matters is delivery.”
Mr Turner made clear: “Say what you’re going to do and do what you say. Don’t start putting manifestos forward and then making stuff up out of thin air like we had on jury trial concealment, for crying out loud.
Karl Turner descended into a fit of rage at the state of the Labour Party under Sir Keir Starmer
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GB NEWS
“Just do what you say you’re gonna do, get on with it and deliver for the country, and that’s what makes a difference. Nothing else matters.”
Criticising the decision to restrict jury trials further, Mr Turner declared it was a “ludicrous idea” put forward by David Lammy and Sir Keir Starmer.
He said: “It was a ludicrous idea, not least because it was a very un-Labour thing to do, that’s the first point. Second point, the Tory Government during the pandemic, with Robert Buckland had every reason to curtail jury trials and absolutely ruled it out.
“Why? Because it was a sensible Conservative Government. Can you imagine the scenario where I’m singing the praises of a Tory party doing the right thing?
Andy Burnham will become Prime Minister on Monday
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PA“Yet I come into this Government two years ago, and we do the most ludicrous stuff anybody could have ever, ever conceived. It was disgusting, especially from a human rights lawyer.”
The ex-Labour MP also urged Mr Burnham to “do away” with the Chagos deal, declaring the move “nonsense”.
He argued: “This Government has been shameful in many ways, and another thing he needs to do, in my view, is do away with his stupid idea of Chagos, giving it away and then paying for the privilege. Nonsense idea.
“If Burnham does that stuff and puts that stuff right, he’ll get everybody’s vote in my constituency in a way that Starmer never could.”
Mr Turner said Keir Starmer ‘wasn’t capable’ of doing the job of Prime Minister
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GB NEWS
Pressed by host Andrew Pierce on whether he would have considered running for Labour leadership, Mr Turner said he “doesn’t have the energy” for such a demanding role.
He concluded: “The truth is, if I’d have gone in the room, I wouldn’t have nominated me, and I’ll tell you for why, on a serious note, the Prime Minister of the country is a 24 hours a day job. I’ve not got the energy.
“If you’re going to do it properly, you’ve got to do it seriously and do it permanently. You’ve got to have the coppers following you around. I wouldn’t have got the nominations, but I couldn’t have done the job.
“You’ve got to do stuff what you think you’re capable of doing. Keir Starmer, bless his cotton socks, wasn’t capable of doing it, not many are. Thatcher was brilliant at it. I disagreed with most of what she did, to be honest, but she was good at it.”