Starmer’s premiership in freefall as Home and Foreign Secretaries ‘both tell him to quit’: Beleaguered PM must face his mutinous Cabinet today after delegation of ministers went to No10 following his disastrous reset speech to say his time is up

Keir Starmer’s premiership went into freefall last night as Cabinet ministers called on him to resign.

Dozens of Labor MPs have called on the Prime Minister to resign after his last-ditch campaign speech failed to quell the growing rebellion.

Last night Labor sources said a delegation of senior ministers went to No 10 to tell Sir Keir his term was up.

Allegedly, Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood and Foreign Affairs Minister Yvette Cooper were among those who told him to leave.

Some key figures in the government are said to have visited No10 on Monday night; Defense Minister John Healey is among those calling on the Prime Minister to resign.

Further calls for in-person resignations are expected to be made at this morning’s Cabinet meeting if Sir Keir refuses to back down.

‘This is happening,’ a source said. ‘The Prime Minister spoke, people listened to him, but the opinion did not change. ‘The herd is moving.’

Sir Keir yesterday warned that a leadership contest on the eve of tomorrow’s King’s Speech would plunge the Government and Britain into chaos.

Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood and Foreign Affairs Minister Yvette Cooper, seen in the photo last year, were reportedly among the cabinet members who told the Prime Minister to leave.

But last night, prominent figures including Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham were privately probing the supporters.

Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols said the Prime Minister did not have the power to govern the country.

He told LBC: ‘It’s over, it’s over, it’s time for someone else to come along.’

Meanwhile, financial markets feared the prospect of competition that would push Labor further to the Left and raise the cost of government borrowing.

Late last night, 79 MPs publicly demanded that Sir Keir set a timetable for his resignation.

The pressure intensified when four deputy ministers left the Government, saying they no longer believed the Prime Minister could turn things around. The other two did not resign but called on Sir Keir to resign.

However, the Prime Minister stated that he was determined to continue the fight by announcing six new deputy ministers to replace the ministers who requested his resignation.

Mr Streeting’s aide, Joe Morris, called on the Prime Minister to set a “rapid timetable” for his departure to allow a new leader to “regain public confidence”.

Mr Streeting has said privately that he will not launch a direct challenge against Sir Keir for fear it would damage his allies’ chances.

But his campaign is said to be ‘ready to launch’ if the Prime Minister faces calls to resign.

Sir Keir yesterday said he would stand and fight against all odds, saying he would never ‘walk away’; This increased the likelihood of Labor being dragged into a bloody civil war.

Ministers are also divided over who will replace Sir Keir if he is sacked in the coming days.

Mr Streeting’s supporters want a quick contest, while Mr Burnham’s allies want Sir Keir to delay his departure to give him time to find a seat in Westminster from which he can contest the leadership.

Angela Rayner yesterday called on the Prime Minister to withdraw her opposition to Mr Burnham’s return.

Labor sources claimed Ms Rayner had struck a ‘dream ticket’ deal with Mr Burnham that would see him return as deputy prime minister despite the ongoing investigation into his tax affairs.

Defense Secretary John Healey was said to be among those calling on the Prime Minister to resign, while David Lammy was also advising Sir Keir on his difficult situation.

Speaking to the Communications Workers Union, Ms Rayner said Mr Burnham ‘should never have been blocked’ and added: ‘It was a mistake that our party’s leadership must correct.’

With Labor MPs divided over who will replace Sir Keir, the outcome of any race will be highly unpredictable.

Mr Burnham is the current favorite but could be barred from running if the Prime Minister is removed in a chaotic process. Allies say he is ready to announce he is willing to step aside to pave the way for a sympathetic north-west MP to return to parliament.

But any midterm election would take weeks, if not months. Such a contest could be fraught with risks, with Reform making huge gains in Labour’s Red Wall.

Mr Burnham will also need to persuade Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee to let him stand as a candidate after blocking his last bid in February.

Kemi Badenoch said it was ‘sad’ to watch the Prime Minister ‘flounder’ and warned replacing him with another Labor politician would make no difference.

‘It’s not just Starmer,’ he said. ‘There’s no answer for all the crooks jostling for jobs, either, because they all believe the same thing: more prosperity, more government control, more debt, more regulation.

‘They’re busy arguing about who should drive, but the truth is they’re all going in the wrong direction.’

Tory leader Kevin Hollinrake has warned that infighting in the Labor Party is ‘crippling’ the Government. ‘The Prime Minister is running out of time and answers, while members of his own cabinet are planning leadership bids. ‘Britain cannot afford a Government paralyzed by the stubbornness of one man.’

Tony Blair’s former spin chief Alastair Campbell has warned Labor MPs are ‘fallen into headless chicken farming’.

Sir Keir is under increasing pressure following last week’s disastrous local election results, which saw Labor lose 1,500 council seats in England and come third in Wales and Scotland.

The Prime Minister tried to head off the rebellion yesterday with a speech in which he acknowledged he had ‘skeptics’ in his own party but insisted he could ‘prove them wrong’.

Sir Keir warned that the ‘chaos’ in the leadership race would cause ‘lasting damage’ and said Labor would ‘never be forgiven for inflicting this on our country’.

Sir Keir was pictured last month with likely leadership hopefuls Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham

Prominent figures including health secretary Wes Streeting are privately campaigning for supporters

Ten-year bond interest rates, one of the government’s main sources of borrowing, rose this morning

Claiming that infighting in the Labor Party would only benefit dissidents such as Nigel Farage, he said: ‘If we don’t get this right, our country will go down a very dark path.’

But the warning failed to overcome the growing anger of his leadership. One hour after the Prime Minister’s speech. More substitute players began to call for him to leave. In the evening, the rain of calls turned into a flood.

Many Cabinet ministers were caught off guard by the lack of public support for the Prime Minister from senior figures such as Rachel Reeves and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy.

Culture Minister Lisa Nandy, who went on air to defend the Prime Minister, said he was right to admit ‘mistakes’ and his own personal unpopularity.

The crisis threatens to cause embarrassment for the King, who will set out the Government’s legislative program for the upcoming session at the State Opening of Parliament tomorrow.

Former Tory minister Sir James Cleverly said last night that a ‘real question’ would arise about the status of the speech if the Prime Minister had to announce his departure before the speech was read.