The secret ‘Trojan Horse’ plot to save Keir Starmer. Ministers have told me all about the new strategy… and it’s the PM’s final chance to save himself: DAN HODGES

Keir Starmer is about to be given one last chance to save himself. Next week, Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham will announce that he has secured a return to Parliament.

Final details are expected to be finalized in the coming days, but the deal is essentially complete. ‘Andy has taken the seat,’ an MP said to me on Monday evening.

At this point, senior members of the Cabinet intend to make the Prime Minister an offer he cannot refuse.

More precisely, it is an offer that he should not refuse if he wants to prevent his Government and party from being dragged into open civil war.

Starmer will be told that if he wants to stay in Downing Street he must make a public statement saying he will not try to block Burnham’s return.

He will also be told to issue a specific instruction to Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee that its supporters should not veto Burnham’s choice.

Burnham, on the other hand, will be told that she must make her own public statement declaring that she can count on Sir Keir’s full support if she is elected as the Labor candidate in the upcoming by-election.

According to senior sources in the Labor Party, this plan has been called the ‘Trojan Horse Strategy’. As one minister explained, ‘The aim is to try to stop everything falling apart after the local elections. There is an incentive for Keir to buy it because it saves him some time. And there’s an incentive for Andy to accept that because once he’s back in Parliament, he’ll be the heir apparent if Keir finally wants it one day. He can show up at the right moment and say, “Okay, it’s time for a change.”‘

There is now widespread acceptance in the cabinet that Starmer’s premiership is nearing its end. Even his closest allies admit he is unlikely to lead Labor at the next general election. And a way needs to be found to allow him to leave office honorably.

Allowing the return of the North’s prodigal son and framing it as a gesture of unity is hoped to provide breathing space where Starmer’s enemies can temporarily sheath their swords and allow the Prime Minister to set an orderly timetable for the transition. It is a clever, pragmatic and feasible plan. And as a result, it is almost certainly doomed to failure.

First, there is the willful blindness of Starmer himself. Those who have seen him in the past two weeks say he is truly determined to fight to the death.

As one MP explained: ‘Furious. He feels like everyone is disappointing him. His staff. His officers. Cabinet. His MPs. His attitude is: “I don’t owe anyone anything. I’ll take care of myself from now on. If they want me, they’ll have to come and get me.”‘

As another Labor leader said: ‘He’s no fool. She knows that the moment Andy comes back for the second time, it’s over for him. It doesn’t matter how hopeless things get. He’s only getting into Westminster because of Keir’s body.’

Then there are the other leadership contenders. Angela Rayner still has ambitions of becoming prime minister. More accurately, members of her inner circle are harboring their own ambitions to seize control of Downing Street and will do whatever they can to sabotage Burnham’s and other rivals’ hopes.

If Manchester mayor Andy Burnham can show he has a viable path to Westminster, it is doubtful he will even have the political capital to sabotage Starmer’s election.

Wes Streeting is also chasing his chance, but he is aware that his opportunity will be missed if the competition is postponed for any longer. Especially if it allows Burnham to make a triumphant return to Westminster.

Similarly, there are a number of candidates within the Cabinet who see this as their moment to make a dash for the crown. And yet they find their hopes dwindling dramatically the moment the King of the North sits down at his green desks.

And then there’s one last hurdle. Events. As one minister described it, ‘things are now beyond the point of no return.’ Everything has its own momentum. ‘If Friday’s results are as predicted, this will turn everything upside down.’

Some Cabinet ministers still believe that even at this late stage Keir Starmer can be seen as sensible.

They argue that it is doubtful that Starmer will even have the political capital to sabotage his election when Andy Burnham has shown that there is a viable route to Westminster. Especially after the by-elections in Gorton and Denton ended in such a disaster for Labour.

But I suspect they are overly optimistic. The Prime Minister is indeed nearing the end of his premiership. But he doesn’t seem to have much intention of listening to reason right now.

Keir Starmer is falling. And he intends to take his Government, his party and his country with him.