Digested week: Starmer's day of reckoning was foreseen just not the level of drama | John Crace

"Last week's elections had always been marked out as a time of maximum danger for Keir Starmer if the results were as bad as feared. And so it proved. Only no one had anticipated quite the level of drama that would go with it. While the Tories have always been quite ruthless about getting rid of a leader they deem surplus to requirements, Labour MPs seem unable to decide whether their regicide is a tragedy or a comedy. Or a mixture of both."

"The action started on Sunday with former minister Catherine West saying she was going to stand against Starmer. Then she decided she would wait and seeThen West said she wouldn't be standing against him after all. Cue chaos. Keir was determined to hang on , saying he deserved a bit longer. Meanwhile more than 100 of his MPs, including several ministers who had resigned their posts, insisted he had to go. His crime? Being a bit average."

"With Reform currently favourites to win the next election, the stakes had never been higher. Only neither of Keir's two main challengers Angela Rayner seemed to have melted away were prepared to break cover. Andy Burnham because he was stuck in Manchester without a seat in Westminster and Wes Streeting because he didn't want to look like the guy who had wielded the knife. Even though everyone knew what he was up to. It was an unresolved standoff. One that was unsustainable."

"Take Florent Montaclair, a French academic. Fed up with his lack of recognition, he decided to award himself a prize. And Florent thought big. He didn't just go down the high street, buy a trophy and have his name engraved on it. In 2016, he announced to the world that he had become the first French winner of the Gold Medal of Philology that's the study of language in historical contexts to"

Election results increased pressure on Keir Starmer, with Labour MPs split over whether removing him was tragic or comedic. Catherine West initially said she would stand against Starmer, then reversed course, triggering further uncertainty. Starmer sought to remain in place longer, while more than 100 MPs, including ministers who had resigned, insisted he must go. Their stated reason was that he had been merely average. Reform was seen as a strong contender for the next election, raising the stakes. Two main challengers, Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham, did not openly challenge, and Wes Streeting avoided appearing as the person who initiated the move. The situation became an unresolved standoff. Separately, Florent Montaclair, a French academic, created recognition for himself by awarding a prize to himself, announcing a first French win of a Gold Medal of Philology.

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