Challenge Starmer by Monday or I will, Labour MP tells cabinet

There were also heavy losses for the party in the Scottish Parliament election, where the SNP won a fifth successive term and Labour finished a distant second tied with Reform.

West did not name who she thought would be best replacement for Sir Keir.

"I don't have a candidate. That's part of the problem," she said.

"But I think there are several people who would like to do it, who have been planning for months, but I'm very surprised that none of them has popped up today to say 'I will do it'."

West said Sir Keir had done "excellent" work rebuilding the Labour Party and on foreign policy.

But she said he had "less of a grip" on the domestic agenda and the party needed to "take the fight to Reform".

West's intervention appeared to take many Labour MPs by surprise.

One minister - who is critical of the prime minister - told the BBC: "She's mad."

A prominent backbench critic of Sir Keir said it was a "totally irresponsible solo mission".

Immigration Minister Mike Tapp was also critical of West's proposal, saying: "When those within your own walls begin dismantling the gate, the enemy no longer needs a battering ram.

"Reform are loving it. Awful from Catherine West and she should know better."

One Labour MP, who is not a prominent critic of Sir Keir, told the BBC that while they had been blindsinded by West's interview, they would be giving her their support on Monday.

"I am reasonably confident she will be able to get to 81 [backers]," they said.

"The frustration on the backbenches runs far wider than the voices we've heard from publicly. There are far more moderate centrist Labour MPs who also think his time is up."

Some in government believe West's call for the cabinet to replace Sir Keir with its "best communicator" means she is tacitly supporting Wes Streeting, though this is denied by those close to the health secretary.

On Friday, Streeting said Sir Keir had his support but "we have to take responsibility in government for our mistakes".

Asked by the BBC if he was ruling out a leadership bid, Streeting said Sir Keir had "delivered a majority that people thought was absolutely impossible after the crushing defeat of 2019".

Other names touted as potential leadership candidates outside the cabinet include former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who resigned in September over failing to pay enough tax on a flat purchase.

However, she is believed to still be waiting for the conclusion of an HMRC investigation into her tax affairs and she may prefer to wait for its findings before launching a leadership bid.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has the support of many MPs but any leadership contender must be a member of Parliament.

Earlier this year he was blocked from standing as a candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election and he would need to find another seat to become an MP, as well as get the approval of Labour's ruling body, the National Executive Committee.

In an attempt to shore up his position, earlier on Saturday Sir Keir appointed former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown and former deputy leader Harriet Harman as advisers.

The veteran politicians will advise the PM on global finance and tackling violence against women.

However, a number of Labour MPs expressed bafflement at the appointments.

One normally loyal minister told the BBC: "It's a joke. There is no question to which bringing these two back is the answer."

Paula Barker, the Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree, told the BBC: "I have enormous respect for both Gordon and Harriet, but I would have had even more respect for them if they had declined the offer of, quite frankly, non-jobs and told the prime minister that it's time for a change and he should set out his timetable."

Sir Keir is planning an attempt to reset his premiership next week by delivering a major speech and unveiling a new programme of legislation.

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