frozen snapshot — 2026-08-29 · see today →
more minds
Keir Starmer

What's on Keir Starmer's mind?

read fresh this morning at 6
28%20%16%13%23%
the defence target healey quit over 28% resentment at how he was forced out 20% · newthe assisted dying vote he owned 16% · newhis successor's honeymoon ending 13% · neweverything else 23%
#1
Healey shelves the 3% target he resigned over

The defence secretary who walked out of Starmer's government is quietly binning his own 3%-of-GDP-by-2030 pledge.

John Healey U-turns on defence spending

The Spectator · 2026-08-28
our translation

the principle was never the point, the exit was. he gets to watch someone else learn that governing costs more than resigning did — and he doesn't have to say a word.

Four outlets on the same U-turnvery sure · 4 sources
#2
'So, chancellor, what was the point of knifing him?'
new — Columnists reopening the coup ledgerpretty sure · 2 sources
#3
Burnham will skip the vote Starmer showed up for
new — BBC plus wires on the splitpretty sure · 2 sources
#4
The unions are booking Burnham's autumn for him
new — Three papers flagging autumn troublepretty sure · 3 sources
saturday, august 29
Read the Healey U-turn coverage twice, comment zero times(safe bet)
Watch Burnham duck the assisted dying vote you turned up for(reported)
Add a memoir note: '3% by 2030 — who blinked first'(safe bet)
Pretend not to read the Crace column, then reread it(safe bet)

rebuilt from the public schedule, pool reports & old habits — the rest is educated guessing

The source

Healey to shelve his own defence spending target of 3% of GDP by 2030

news.google.com · 2026-08-29

every line on the pad traces to something public — tap to see it