Sir Keir Starmer will fight to save his premiership on Monday as leadership rivals circle and he prepares to give a crucial “last chance” speech intended to contain a mutiny after Labour’s dire results in local and devolved elections.
Starmer was frantically rewriting the key address with allies on Sunday, against a backdrop of warnings that he could face a challenge on Monday if he fails to set out a convincing new direction for his ailing premiership.
Angela Rayner, Starmer’s former deputy, dialled up the pressure on Starmer, deploring a “toxic culture of cronyism” in the government and calling for leadership hopeful Andy Burnham to return to Westminster.