Home secretary Shabana Mahmood is among at least four senior ministers who have urged Sir Keir Starmer to quit ahead of a crunch meeting of the cabinet on Tuesday, with the besieged prime minister’s premiership hanging in the balance.
As the number of Labour MPs calling for Sir Keir to go immediately or set a timetable for his departure passed 80 on Monday night, feverish speculation turned towards an expected leadership bid from health secretary Wes Streeting to be unveiled on Tuesday.