Keir Starmer‘s woes deepened today as a rebel MP offered to give up his seat for potential rival Andy Burnham.
Left-winger Clive Lewis said he does not believe the Prime Minister can recover from dire polls, with a disastrous Budget and local elections looming.
Sir Keir’s allies have been arguing there is no viable successor, with growing numbers of critics unable to unite around an alternative candidate.
There are claims that more than 80 MPs are ready to support an effort to oust the PM – which would meet the threshold for triggering a contest.
Some ministers are now said to regard Sir Keir being replaced as ‘inevitable’.
Manchester Mayor Mr Burnham is still often touted as a successor, despite a humiliating implosion at a Labour conference after he hinted at making a run.
Keir Starmer’s woes deepened today as a rebel MP offered to give up his seat for potential rival Andy Burnham
Left-winger Clive Lewis said he does not believe the PM can recover from dire polls, with a disastrous Budget and local elections looming
Appearing on the BBC’s Politics Live today, Mr Lewis confirmed he had spoken to Mr Burnham – but refused to say whether he knew he was ‘up for’ challenging.
Pressed whether he would give up his own Norwich South constituency so Mr Burnham could run, Mr Lewis said: ‘It’s a question I’ve asked myself… I’d have to consult with my wife… but if I’m going to sit here and say, country before party, party before personal ambition, then yes I have to say yes don’t I.’
Pressed that he was saying he would give up his seat for Mr Burnham, the Labour MP replied: ‘I would.’
Mr Lewis is the only MP so far to say publicly that Sir Keir should go.
The sense of turmoil at the heart of Government has been growing after an extraordinary pre-emptive strike against the PM’s Cabinet rivals backfired.
The premier was left defending his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney when Health Secretary Wes Streeting publicly attacked No10’s ‘toxic culture’ and ‘self-destruction’.
It then emerged that Sir Keir and Chancellor Rachel Reeves had performed a shambolic U-turn on plans to increase income tax at the Budget, despite weeks of blatant hints.
Manchester Mayor Mr Burnham is still often touted as a successor, despite a humiliating implosion at a Labour conference after he hinted at making a run
A YouGov poll has found 23 per cent of Labour supporters think the party leader should quit now and elect someone else.
A further 22 per cent believe he should give up his role at some point before the next election.
Only a third, 34 per cent, said he should lead the Labour Party into the contest.
Sir Keir read the riot act to his Cabinet yesterday, warning there must be no more ‘distractions’ – even though it had been his allies who appeared to be briefing against ministers.
At the weekly meeting, Sir Keir warned that the public were ‘rightly impatient’ with the Government ‘talking about ourselves’ rather than working together.
He also made another attempt to shore up his position by telling the Mirror in an interview that he would still be in charge at the next election.
At PMQs this lunchtime, Sir Keir dodged Kemi Badenoch’s question pushing him on whether there would be a freeze on tax thresholds in the Budget.
‘This is the first Budget to unravel before it’s even been delivered,’ the Tory leader said.
‘The Chancellor’s cluelessness, I’m afraid, is damaging the economy now.
The premier was left defending his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney (pictured) when Health Secretary Wes Streeting publicly attacked No10’s ‘toxic culture’ and ‘self-destruction’
Mr Streeting called for those behind briefings against him to be sacked – but Sir Keir said he had been assured nobody in No10 was responsible
‘The Prime Minister needs to end this shambles. So, can he confirm today that he won’t break another promise by freezing income tax thresholds?’
Sir Keir said: ‘The Budget is one week today and we will lay out our plans.
‘I’ve said what we will do in terms of protecting the NHS and public services.
‘What we won’t do is inflict austerity on the country as they did. What we won’t do is inflict a borrowing spree like Liz Truss did.’
Ms Badenoch earlier asked why the Government had floated income tax rate increases only to U-turn.
She said: ‘Can the Prime Minister tell us why his Government is the first Government in history to float increasing income tax rates only to then U-turn on it all after the actual Budget?’
Sir Keir said the Budget was next week and that inflation was down.
