Labour MPs plot to push Keir Starmer to set resignation date amid local election wipeout fears

Labour MPs are said to be drawing up plans to pressure Sir Keir Starmer into setting a date for his resignation amid fears of a local election wipeout on Thursday.

A group of disaffected backbenchers is reportedly rallying support for a leadership challenge once the vote is over, with Labour projected to lose up to 1,900 council seats, according to The Times.

As the party braces for potentially heavy losses to Reform UK and the Greens, the rebels - made up of a number of Labour MPs elected in 2024 - are expected to draft an open letter to Sir Keir laying responsibility for the anticipated defeat at his door.

They are also expected to demand the Prime Minister sets out a clear timetable for stepping down.

Several senior ministers are believed to be aware of the plans, which have reportedly been compared to the putsch orchestrated by Gordon Brown’s allies against Sir Tony Blair in 2006.

The proposed open letter is understood to have been a major topic of discussion among backbenchers in recent days.

However, only a handful of MPs are said to have been approached to sign it so far.

To remove Sir Keir, any challenger would need the backing of at least 81 MPs from the Parliamentary Labour Party.

One minister recently told The Times there was "real anger" within Labour ranks over Sir Keir’s leadership.

Ministers are also said to believe any serious move to remove him from Downing Street would "have to come from the backbenchers".

Health Secretary Wes Streeting and former Deputy PM Angela Rayner are both believed to have enough support within the PLP to mount a challenge, though both are reportedly reluctant to make the first move.

One MP backing the push against Sir Keir told The Times: “We will be angry and not resigned to getting absolutely f***ed."

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“People underestimate our ability to recover when he goes, but we need to do it calmly and properly," they added.

No current Cabinet minister is believed to have formally joined the growing rebellion so far, though Ms Rayner is reportedly said to have held private talks with Armed Forces minister Al Carns as she looks to strengthen her credentials on defence ahead of any potential leadership bid.

A source close to Mr Carns said the pair were "talking," adding: "Ange knows it’s one of her weaknesses and if you were looking at someone to wear that particular weakness, he is your man.

"If you’re putting together a fantasy cabinet, he is defence or foreign sec.”

While no formal move to unseat the Prime Minister has yet materialised, that could quickly change if Labour suffers a historic defeat on Thursday.

Fears are mounting that Labour could slump to a distant third in both Wales and Scotland, while losing more than 1,800 council seats across England.

Sir Keir’s party is also projected to record its lowest ever vote share in London, potentially losing councils in the capital to the Greens, Liberal Democrats, Reform UK and the Conservatives.

They also face potentially devastating losses in traditional Labour heartlands, including former Red Wall strongholds such as Wakefield, Barnsley and Sunderland.

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