Independent readers reacting to the latest political upheavals say Britain’s system feels broken, with many describing a landscape dominated by control, cynicism and diminishing trust.

Across the comments, there was a strong sense that politics is stuck in a repetitive cycle – and that Labour is increasingly behaving like the Conservatives it replaced.

That broader frustration fed directly into reactions to Labour’s decision to block Andy Burnham from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election.

For some readers, the move symbolised a top-down, managerial approach to politics, with a popular figure sidelined for strategic reasons. Critics said it echoed the kind of internal control and factionalism voters had come to associate with the Conservatives, rather than the change Labour promised.

This sense of political decay was reinforced, readers said, by Suella Braverman’s defection to Reform UK.

Many viewed her move – the latest of several Conservative defections to Nigel Farage’s party – as evidence that Reform is less a break from the past than a continuation of hard-right Conservatism, feeding off anger with a two-party system that no longer feels representative.

Overall, readers argued that the Burnham row and Tory defections point to the same problem: a political system that feels closed, toxic and increasingly removed from the everyday life of the electorate.

Here’s what you had to say:

Constant change is chaos

We’re on our fifth prime minister in ten years, so let’s go for it again. A new PM, a new administration – it’ll take them a few years to find their feet and all will be fine. This is pie-in-the-sky thinking. It’s chaos. Chaos under the Conservatives, and now chaos under Labour.

And Reform offer proper change. It’ll be change all right – maybe not the change people wanted – but it’ll be change. So let’s roll the dice and see if Burnham can change things around. It’s a huge gamble.

This government is anything but perfect, but they’re doing good. Please people, don’t let perfection exclude the ok, because the perfection you want doesn’t exist.

Is our future two-year-term PMs? Because if it is, nothing will be done. In two years’ time we need Rayner because Burnham hasn’t delivered? Really?

mG123

Voters resent being told their choice is barred

Of course they will lose this by-election. The voters do not like being told who they can’t and can vote for. The spurious reasons for banning Burnham are also another factor. People do not like injustices within the political system.

I don’t think Starmer can afford another U-turn, particularly when what is evident is just a personal vendetta.

Michael

Electoral reform is the real red line

According to Einstein, the definition of madness is repeating the same thing over and over in the hope that it will work when it never has. This is my verdict on rule by minority duopoly. If they want to try something really radical to earn support, how about reform of the voting system? Members and a large number of non-affiliated outsiders would back it alike.

I have only one point to make to them, irrespective of my political views or anyone else’s.

Suella Braverman says she had no home in British politics. Fifty-one per cent of the electorate have no home in British politics. I believe the reason is the archaic first-past-the-post system, which has returned minorities time after time, effectively excluding those who don’t support the duopoly but making them pay for it.

The voters have no option but to exclude themselves or vote for a party which has no influence under that system. A clear, unequivocal statement that they would reform the electoral system with full proportional representation is needed. That’s my red line and why I cannot vote Labour or Conservative.

Anything else would be a step backwards from where I am now. It’s because I do care about the future of my country that I’m not prepared to give any politician a blank cheque under the current system.

FreeLife

Suella Braverman told the crowd that Nigel Farage was the only man in UK politics who has been ‘courageously consistent’ (AFP/Getty)

Reform is simply the hard right of the Conservatives

Suella Braverman, another from the hard right of the Conservatives on the ‘chicken run’.

One thing to keep in mind is that Reform are far-right Conservatives, predominantly coming from the Conservative Party and now split away from it. It is essentially the Conservatives of the hard right – the Conservatives who caused excessive damage to the UK during the Conservative administrations from 2010 to 2024.

They are the weird Conservatives that have a knack for ineptness: creating more debt, a revolving door of prime ministers, turning a blind eye to corporate corruption, covering up corporate pollution of UK rivers and coast, infrastructural neglect, and playing a violin while health, policing, prisons, the justice system and social care disintegrated around them.

Their botched actions escalated immigration and asylum, intensified far-right xenophobia, and haplessly bungled through a burgeoning wave of crime, growing poverty, homelessness, hunger, child hunger, and homeless children – all caused through Conservative policies. Their incompetence was literally creating social breakdown and anarchy.

WhatServices

Unity matters more than personal ambition

Very disappointing from Burnham. This act alone will prevent him from gaining support in the future. As regards the so-called ‘rebels’, this is a serious situation we are in. Unity is important, and no one from any side of the political spectrum wants a repeat of the Tories’ endless procession of leaders.

Cat

Farage isn’t fascism, but the system is rotten

It proves that Farage’s gang are not really fascists. They are simply a new Tory party which is willing to go just a bit further than the old Tory party with regard to immigration and other traditional issues. Their main strength is the widespread, and justified, disgust with our constipated two-party system.

Prime Minister Farage, no more than Prime Minister Badenoch or Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, would ever dare defy the hedge fund bosses or any other billionaire financial oligarchs. Our putrefying political system is well capable of giving rise to a fascist movement, but Farage is not it. If he was, we shouldn’t be talking about opinion polls, but about violent resistance.

envious

Labour’s perpetual malcontents

The objectors [to Burnham’s Westminster return] are a group of perpetual malcontents on the left of the party who oppose Starmer whatever he does.

The decision to bar Burnham from standing this time (for the sound reasons that he committed to serve a full term as mayor and Labour can’t afford to lose the mayoralty) is supported by many other MPs, but that is never mentioned.

Burnham has been incredibly arrogant and entitled in this, and that will grate with voters. I don’t think he’s the shoo-in for either this election or the leadership that he thinks he is.

Tanaquil2

The whiners should get behind the Government

Burnham is subject to a set of rules. He applied for a dispensation from those rules. The rules apply to him and were affirmed. The dispensation was not granted. The calculus, I am sure, was that it was better to risk losing the by-election than the mayoralty, and better to keep third-time wannabe Burnham away from Westminster for now. That is the right decision.

The whiners should stop being so internecine and get behind the government. Police reform, leasehold reform, school curriculum improvements – big stuff is going on which should be championed. Some bequiffed egotist should be ignored, not indulged.

Honeysuckle

Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.

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