It seems like you see politics as a game of Rock Paper Scissors, but it’s not as simple as that.

Will Starmer automatically win against Farage? There’s certainly no evidence to suggest that so far.

I wouldn’t even say Burnham is particularly left wing; maybe against Farage but that’s not saying much.

Not that being left wing is inherently a vote loser. A lot of political popularity is down to personality, which Starmer doesn’t have but Burnham does (in comparison).