Labour MPs have been warned against “doomscrolling through leaders” amid a plot to pressure Sir Keir Starmer into setting his resignation date.
The Prime Minister’s backbenchers are reportedly drafting a letter which outlines that he is to blame for the party’s projected by-election defeat and consequently, he should resign.
Speaking to Times Radio earlier today, Communities Minister Steve Reed, regarded as one of the Prime Minister’s closest Cabinet allies, insisted he had no knowledge of any such correspondence being circulated among MPs.
“I speak to a lot of my fellow MPs, of course I do all the time, but also council leaders, and they’re sick and tired of all of this psychodrama,” he said.
Mr Reed, the MP for for Streatham and Croydon North, cautioned against any attempt to remove Sir Keir ahead of Thursday’s council elections, dismissing the idea that Labour would “copy the Conservatives and go doomscrolling through leaders.”
“I’m not going to engage in it and most of our MPs would not engage in that either,” Mr Reed added.
The reported letter would mirror tactics employed in 2006, when traditionally loyal Labour MPs drafted a round-robin correspondence that ultimately pressured Tony Blair into announcing his departure within a year.
Labour is bracing for significant losses at Thursday’s polls, with forecasts suggesting the party could shed hundreds of council seats nationwide to Reform UK and the Greens.
Keir Starmer has admitted his party faces a ‘challenge’ this week | GETTY
Speculation about potential successors to Sir Keir has intensified, with Health Secretary Wes Streeting, former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham all mentioned as possible contenders.
Supporters of Ms Rayner believe she could secure backing from the 81 MPs necessary to trigger a leadership contest, a threshold Mr Streeting is also thought to have reached. However, neither is reportedly willing to make the first move.
Mr Burnham remains a popular choice among party members, though any bid for Downing Street would require him to overcome considerable practical hurdles before returning to Parliament.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch seized on Labour’s internal tensions, accusing the governing party of conducting a “shadow leadership contest talking about what their party should stand for two years into Government.”
Kemi Badenoch addressed a campaign rally in Solihull | PA
Addressing supporters at a rally in Solihull, West Midlands, Mrs Badenoch attacked Labour’s record in office and pointed to problems at Labour-run Birmingham City Council.
She claimed a refuse workers’ strike had resulted in “food rotting in the streets, rats as big as cats,” adding: “People learned that if you vote Labour, you get trash.”
The Tory leader argued that Labour had entered government after 14 years in opposition “without a single idea of how to fix anything.”
“These people have no plan but we do,” Mrs Badenoch declared, pledging to abolish business rates for most high street businesses and deploy 10,000 additional police officers.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed called on his fellow Labour MPs to stop ‘doomscrolling’
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GB NEWSSir Keir has pushed back against criticism that he has been absent from the campaign trail, rejecting characterisations of himself as the “invisible man” during the election period.
When the BBC questioned why he was only appearing in the capital two days before polling day and whether Labour supporters viewed him as a “liability,” the Prime Minister pointed to his team’s efforts across the country.
“I was with my Camden team only on Saturday, and the positivity that they bring to this is infectious,” he said. “They know, as I know, the last few days of a campaign really matter.”
At a south London rally, Sir Keir acknowledged the “challenge” facing his party but emphasised the importance of contesting every vote.
Keir Starmer admitted Labour is facing a ‘challenge’ ahead of local elections
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Writing in the Observer at the weekend, the Prime Minister urged Labour not to replicate the Conservatives’ mistake of “descending into political infighting,” warning against sinking into “the politics of grievance and division.”
At a rally earlier today, Sir Keir said: “We’ve got a fantastic Labour team working every single day in London and across the country, campaigning with fantastic councillors and candidates and with a very positive message.
“Of course, it’s going to be a challenge, but it is really important we go in fighting for every vote, which has to be earned, in relation to this.”