After a week of speculation and gossip, Thursday seemed to be the day the Labour leadership contest really took off. Officially though, Keir Starmer is still in place … and not going anywhere.
Guardian columnist Rafael Behr talks through a frantic day that started with Wes Streeting’s resignation as health secretary and ended with the very real possibility of his rival – Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham – returning to parliament.
But what, asks Nosheen Iqbal, do the runners and riders actually stand for? And is there any evidence they could take Labour out of the mess it’s in now?

