The dirty tricks campaigns

The dirty tricks campaigns trying to stop Burnham in race for No 10

A meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) on Monday evening has inadvertently confirmed that the underhand tricks and backstabbing by MPs has got out of hand.

At the meeting, both foreign secretary Yvette Cooper and chief whip Jonathan Reynolds did their best primary school teacher impressions and gave their colleagues a dressing down for all their briefings against the prime minister and various leadership candidates.

It was apparently meant to be an appeal for unity. But one MP suggested it was the 21st-century equivalent of King Cnut shouting at the sea to stop the tide coming in. It was seen as both a complete waste of energy – and a little hypocritical on a day it was revealed that Sir Keir Starmer’s allies are briefing against Andy Burnham, claiming he would bring back Jeremy Corbyn if he became prime minister.

Imagine a headline - 

The clean tricks campaigns trying to stop Burnham in race for No 10

Goes against everything we know doesn't it? May as well leave out "dirty tricks" in the original headline - it's political squabbling among people nobody should ever have voted for.