PM confronts his most difficult daypublished at 06:05 BST

06:05 BST

Chris Mason
Political editor

Image source, Reuters

This morning, Sir Keir Starmer's cabinet is split on the most fundamental political question a government's top table of ministers can ever wrestle with: whether the prime minister should carry on.

Clearly, a cabinet split on this is unsustainable. Either cabinet ministers have to resign or be sacked, or the prime minister himself has to go.

Last night, ministers went in to see Sir Keir and he was met with a range of advice. Some said he should fight on. Some said he should set out a timetable for his departure. And others, as he weighed his options, tried to help him kick around how he might deal with the scenario he now confronts.

A dam now appears to have broken, with Labour MPs posting their public loss of confidence in the prime minister with such frequency it can be hard at times to keep count of them.

Read more of Chris's analysis here.

Image source, BBC Newsnight

Labour MP Jonathan Hinder was among the latest MPs to turn against Starmer.

Appearing on Newsnight last night, he said he believed "the prime minister is going", saying "no prime minister can survive this number of MPs losing confidence in him".

Saying he supported a change of leadership, he criticised Sir Keir's speech on Monday for its reference to free movement of young people in the European Union.

The speech was "at best tone deaf" and "at its worst, downright insulting", the MP said.

Hinder represents the east Lancashire constituency of Pendle and Clitheroe, winning the seat from the Conservatives at the 2024 general election, which was an area that voted leave at the 2016 EU referendum.

Despite Labour's 2024 landslide, he said Starmer "has never been an electoral asset".

"We need a new leader for the Labour Party and our country needs a new leader".

The papers make for grim reading for the PM this morning, with speculation over Sir Keir's future dominating the front pages.

"Cabinet turns on Starmer" is the Times' headline, reporting sources who say Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper are urging him to "set out a timeline for his departure". Additionally, the Daily Telegraph writes "Time to go, Cabinet tells Starmer".

The Daily Mail declares "government in chaos" over the leadership speculation. "Starmer's survival on the line" is the Guardian's take, "PM on the edge", writes the Express, and "Starmer on the brink", says the Sun.

"Dear PM, by order of the Traitors ... you have been murdered", says the Daily Star, a nod to the popular reality TV series. "You will be removed from Number 10," the paper writes underneath a hooded photoshopped image of former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

You can read the BBC's paper review for Tuesday here.

Starmer on the brink with party in revoltpublished at 05:27 BST

05:27 BST

Chris Mason
Political editor

Image source, PA Media

The UK has had four prime ministers in the last four years. And now another stands on the brink; his party in open revolt, his own cabinet split on whether he should go.

Sir Keir Starmer and his supporters have been resolute in their view that it would be “insane”, as one put it to me, to plunge the party, the government, the country into a lengthy, noisy leadership contest of uncertain outcome.

But the remorseless logic of growing demands for his departure from his own MPs means the PM confronts the most awkward and painful of days.

Those MPs cannot shake a sense he is repellent to too many voters just as Labour wrestles with how to take on Reform UK.

Already bad blood oozes from the Labour movement, with rival leadership camps briefing against each other.

At the same time, many other Labour MPs are looking on in horror at the implosion they are witnessing.

Sir Keir Starmer is facing the biggest leadership crisis of his premiership. Here's what we can look out for:

• The cabinet will formally meet first thing this morning, providing an important measure of the support for the PM. Currently Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is among a minority of cabinet ministers calling for the PM to set out a timetable for his resignation
• Will more Labour MPs come out against the prime minister? As of now, 72 have publicly urged Sir Keir either to resign immediately or set out a timetable to stand down. Any leadership challenger would need the support of 20% of Labour MPs – 81 people – to trigger a contest
• Will there be more resignations? On Monday, six ministerial aides - the lowest rung of government - were replaced by No 10, after they either quit or called for Sir Keir to set out a timetable for his replacement.
• Watch out for what allies of Andy Burnham are saying. Calls are building for a timetable for Sir Keir's resignation from supporters of the mayor of Greater Manchester - who would need to win a by-election to become an MP again before challenging for the leadership.
• The other camp to keep an eye on is on the right of the party. Calls have come from allies of Health Secretary Wes Streeting for a swifter departure - which would exclude the chance of Burnham standing for the leadership.