Ed Miliband 'urges Keir Starmer to plan RESIGNATION' - just as PM prepares 'reset' speech in bid to save job

Ed Miliband is said to have told Sir Keir Starmer to set out a timeline for his resignation.

Around a fortnight before his party suffered a bruising start to the local elections overnight, Mr Miliband is reported to have privately told the PM to outline a formal schedule to step down.

Multiple Labour MPs went public in the early hours of Friday morning to call for the Prime Minister's resignation.

But the Energy Secretary is concerned that Labour will descend into a damaging leadership contest after the counting concludes.

He is understood to have made the remarks to Sir Keir a during a private meeting a fortnight ago, two sources familiar with the discussions told The Times.

A spokesman for Mr Miliband would not comment on "private conversations", but said "we do not accept this account".

"Ed has always supported the prime minister and continues to do so as he delivers on his mandate for change," the spokesman said.

Angela Rayner, the former Deputy Prime Minister, and Wes Streeting, are both said to have the support of the 81 MPs needed to challenge the Prime Minister.

Mr Miliband is seen as a potential "kingmaker" in a leadership challenge and is supporting a return to Parliament for Andy Burnham, who could also stand in a potential leadership bid.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester is understood to have told supporters a backbench MP would be willing to stand down in order to allow the so-called "King of the North" to return to Westminster.

Meanwhile, ministers and MPs fear a challenge from Mr Streeting would lead to a challenge from Ms Rayner, leading to a chaotic exit for Sir Keir.

Burnham-backing MPs plan to force the Prime Minister to name a date to stand down on his own terms to allow the Mayor to return to the Commons and take Sir Keir's job.

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Meanwhile, Ms Rayner will "take the temperature" of her fellow MPs before deciding to make a formal challenge, The Times reported - with an HMRC probe into her tax affairs still underway.

Sir Keir's allies have said he plans to fight any challenge and have pointed to the dangers of changing leaders while the country faces turbulent times.

Justice Minister Sarah Sackman told GB News: "People want stability and they want delivery. And I don't hear anyone on the doorsteps and the conversations that I have with real people ruminating about a psychodrama of the sort that we saw under the Conservatives, where it seemed that we were changing Prime Ministers every few months.

"You know, that is not good for the country. And those calling for it, I think, need to think very carefully about whether they're in tune with the public, because I don't think they are."

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy also addressed the reported remarks from Mr Miliband earlier today.

He said: "Keir Starmer won a mandate for five years to deliver for the British people, and now some people are suggesting that we should go away and play pass the parcel.

"The Tories did that with leader after leader after leader."

He added that "there is no circumstances" under which the Prime Minister's resignation would be the "answer to the questions that the British people are raising".

The PM appears to agree - and is set to make an address on Monday to win back young voters from the Greens, which have already started eating away at Labour councils up and down the country.

The Greens are by far the most popular party among 18-24-year-olds.

And with a wipeout already underway, Sir Keir is expected to focus on the Government's offerings to young people, The Telegraph reported.

It is understood the Prime Minister will point to Labour's "youth guarantee", which will incentivise employers to hire 18-24 year olds who have been on benefits for at least six months.

The Labour leader is understood to also focus on investment in youth unemployment schemes, including a planned 50,000 extra apprenticeships in the next three years.

Downing Street sources said Sir Keir took personal interest in his party's youth policies after the Green Party's self-described "Youthquake".

But it remains uncertain if the speech would convince MPs to not trigger a leadership contest.