Some Scottish Labour MPs want Sir Keir Starmer to step aside amid fears that the party will face a rout in next May’s Holyrood elections.
There are calls for a leadership challenge in the new year to give themselves time to win back voters who have lost faith in the Prime Minister following a series of u-turns and broken promises.
Disenchanted Westminster MPs believe the party’s deteriorating popularity north of the border is becoming untenable and that it faces being badly defeated by the SNP, and losing second place to Reform.
The row engulfing the Chancellor, who is accused of misleading the public over the nation’s finances, is adding to the nervousness among backbenchers.
One MP told The Times: “The situation is untenable. The question for those of us with elections next May is ‘is there time for a change’, or do we wait to be slaughtered? My preference is before May.”
Another said: “We have everything to gain and little to lose by getting rid of Keir. With elections round the corner, we should be in contention for first place in the polls. Instead we’re at risk of finishing in a far behind second, or staying stuck in third place.”
Lifting the two-child benefit cap has removed a key policy attack from Labour’s opponents but it is not thought to be enough and could still play into the SNP’s hands.
That’s because it has freed up £155 million which had been earmarked in the Scottish government’s budget for a similar step north of the border. The SNP can now allocate this money to pre-election giveaways in the the Scottish budget in January.
To force a challenge to Starmer, 80 MPs must gather behind a single challenger. There are 37 Scottish Labour MPs, including a cabinet minister, junior ministers, government aides and backbenchers. A contest could take months, potentially jeopardising the party’s chances further.
Starmer allies point to Labour’s win in the Holyrood by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse in June, defying predictions of defeat.
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