How Catherine West became a stalking horse then reined herself in

"When Catherine West announced she would challenge Keir Starmer, she was labelled a stalking horse, the slightly arcane political slang for someone testing out a bid on behalf of others. A couple of days on, and some Labour MPs say the better equine analogy is a Grand National competitor that has shed its rider and bringing chaos to the race. Some colleagues of the north London MP are even blunter in their assessment of her attempt to bounce others into a leadership challenge by launching her own, a plan scaled back on Monday to instead involve an attempt to make Starmer set a date for his departure. Fundamentally unserious. It has made everything worse, one MP said."

"Asked if they had ascertained West's goals or tactics, another replied: I honestly don't know. I think most people are giving her a wide berth. It has also come as an undoubted surprise to the public, the bulk of whom had not previously come across the former Foreign Office minister, who was born and raised in Australia and moved to the UK in her early 30s. West does, however, appear to be sincere on her two main points: that she very much believes Starmer needs to go, and that she is not taking a view about who should replace him."

"Friends of West say she became increasingly furious as Labour's dreadful performance in last week's elections emerged across Friday and Saturday. Starmer clings on amid Labour deadlock - The Latest A former London council leader before she entered parliament in 2015, West saw a series of people she knew well in local government lose their seats. Labour also lost control of the borough in which her Hornsey and Friern Barnet constituency mainly sits, Haringey, with the Greens becoming the biggest party."

"She is terrified at the idea of Reform just walking into Downing Street, and thinks the party needs a street fighter to combat them, one friend said. Keir has many qualities but he's not that. She wanted to do something immediately when MPs go back to Westminster it's easy to fo"

Catherine West’s decision to challenge Keir Starmer has been met with criticism from Labour MPs who describe her approach as chaotic and lacking seriousness. Some compare her actions to a competitor without a rider, while others say she is trying to force Starmer to set a departure date. MPs report they do not know her goals or tactics and believe most people are giving her a wide berth. The public reaction is also described as surprising because West was not widely known. Supporters say she is sincere about removing Starmer and does not endorse a specific replacement. Friends link her anger to Labour’s poor election performance and her fear that Reform could enter Downing Street, leading her to argue Labour needs a more combative figure.

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