Up to seven Cabinet ministers are poised to unite in pressuring Sir Keir Starmer into resigning if this week's local election results prove as disastrous for Labour as anticipated. Senior government sources have disclosed to The Mail on Sunday that these high-ranking figures intend to persuade the beleaguered Prime Minister that it would serve the party's best interests for him to agree on a departure timeline from Downing Street.
Plan for an 'Elegant' Exit
The ministers will urge Sir Keir to outline an 'elegant' path to step down in time for the party's autumn conference, rather than clinging to power against public sentiment. Such a move would pave the way for a leadership contest expected to feature former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, and Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as the primary contenders.
Labour is projected to lose more than 1,500 seats in Thursday's elections, including vast swathes of its former heartlands in the North and London. As Sir Keir faces his political D-Day amid mounting pressure, Reform's Nigel Farage has pledged to reduce Labour's 'Red Wall' support to 'smouldering rubble', writing in The Mail on Sunday: 'This will be Starmer's real day of reckoning.'
Leadership Maneuvering
Allies of Mr. Burnham claim Ms. Rayner reneged on a deal to stand on a joint ticket, as he is reportedly mapping out a path back into the Commons 'within weeks' by persuading a Labour MP to stand down, triggering a by-election. Mr. Streeting's leadership campaign is said to be 'far advanced', though allies insist he would not challenge Sir Keir but is prepared to run if the PM falls.
Polling by Lord Ashcroft in today's MoS reveals that over half of voters believe Sir Keir should resign if Labour loses a large number of seats on Thursday, while only 25 per cent think he will remain PM until the next election. Allies of the PM have branded it 'madness to hold a leadership election while there is a war in the Middle East and a cost of living crisis'.
In a BBC interview yesterday, Sir Keir made clear his intention to remain in No 10 until the next general election, declaring he was elected for 'a five-year term that I won with a landslide victory, and I'll be judged at the end of that period, at the next election'.
Internal Party Reactions
A senior Labour MP insisted that, if challenged, Sir Keir would beat Ms. Rayner, Mr. Streeting, 'and even Andy Burnham' in a vote of all Labour members. However, another MP described the PM as 'really quite deluded' if he believed he could cling on after this week's expected local election bloodbath and the Peter Mandelson affair.
Under the prepared plan, Sir Keir would be forced to agree to make way for a new leader after a suitable period, described by one Labour source as 'a calm, elegant and considered process'. Another party insider stated: 'The view is there is no way for this to end now unless Keir sets out a clear timetable. Ideally, he will do it himself. But if he doesn't, members of the Cabinet will go to him after the results are in and tell him he has to announce a clear schedule for his departure.'
A ministerial source added: 'It's about finding a way out that lets Keir go with some dignity. There won't be any public calls initially. But a significant number of Cabinet ministers have agreed that if the results are what we expect, he has to set out the timetable.'
Burnham's Return to Commons
Mr. Burnham's previous attempt to return to the Commons earlier this year was thwarted when Labour's ruling NEC blocked his candidature for the Gorton and Denton by-election, citing party rules that serving mayors must obtain permission to quit and stand for Parliament. However, if the NEC tries to block him again, his allies say he will resign as mayor to remove that veto and nominate Bev Craig, leader of Manchester City Council, as his replacement.
Mr. Burnham's allies assert that Ms. Rayner backed out of a deal to support him, which had been agreed at the start of the year as part of a 'non-aggression pact' between her, Mr. Burnham, and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.
A Labour MP commented: 'If we lose more than 1,500 councillors, lose control of Wales and come third in Scotland, there will be a challenge. That will be triggered by Cabinet ministers saying publicly that things have to change. Starmer may respond by trying a Cabinet reshuffle, but that won't work. The 2024 intake of MPs, who are Starmer's main support, will then call for change, at which point he's finished.'
The MP added: 'It's chaos at the moment. Endless briefings, half-baked leadership plots, and people jockeying for position while the country rots. It is clear that the PM has burned any political capital. It has been called by some a 'game of chess', but it's not checkmate – it's f***mate.'
