Sir Keir Starmer is facing a potential rebellion as Labour MPs warn patience is “wearing thin” with the Prime Minister.
Senior members of the soft-left Tribune Group are said to have gathered the 80 MPs needed to put forward a candidate to challenge Sir Keir’s leadership.
According to The Times, one Labour MP in the group said: “Itâs all about the polls.
“We canât be below 20 per cent at the polls for much longer.”
The MP added that patience in the Labour Party was “wearing thin” with the Prime Minister.
A source close to the group confirmed it had the required numbers to put forward a candidate for a leadership challenge, the newspaper reports.
Sir Keir warned his Cabinet on Tuesday against “distractions” after days of Labour civil war and Budget leaks, Downing Street said.
The Prime Minister also issued a plea for unity following the extraordinary briefing spat last week suggesting Health Secretary Wes Streeting was plotting a leadership challenge.
His official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister opened Cabinet by setting out the importance of the Governmentâs mandate to renew the country.
“He said distractions meant our focus shifted from where it mattered most, working every day in service of the British people.”
Nigel Farage is ‘soft on Putin’ and is ‘not to be trusted on national security’ – John Healey
John Healey has said Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is “not to be trusted on national security”.
During his speech in Downing Street this morning, the defence secretary said: “Nigel Farage – he is soft on Putin, weak on Nato and not to be trusted on national security.
“It is Labour that is the party of defence. It was Labour that chose Nato, it was Labour that established our UK nuclear deterrent and today, it is Labour that is choosing to make our country safer still while bringing that defence dividend to every part of Britain.
“Only Labour can do this, because we know at the heart of defence, military and industrial have always been the working class.”
Defence secretary calls for ‘new era of hard power’ amid ‘growing threats’
John Healey has called for a new era of “hard power” amid growing threats.
Following his announcement that a Russian spy ship is on the edge of UK waters, he said: “This is also a stark reminder that we are in a new era of threat.
“Our world is changing. It is less predictable, it is more dangerous.
“This is a new era of threat, it demands a new era for defence,” he added.
“A new era of hard power, strong allies, and of sure diplomacy. As the threat grows, Britain must step up – and we are.”
John Healey issues stern warning to Vladimir Putin as Russian spy ship ‘on edge of UK waters’
Defence secretary John Healey confirmed a Russian spy ship is on ‘the edge of UK waters’
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Opening his speech in Downing Street, defence secretary John Healey said: “As I speak the Russian spy ship, the Yantar, is on the edge of UK waters north of Scotland, having entered the UK’s wider waters over the last few weeks.
“This is a vessel designed for gathering intelligence and mapping our undersea cables.
“We deployed a Royal Navy frigate and RAF planes to monitor and track this vessel’s every move, during which the Yantar directed lasers at our pilots.
“That Russian action is deeply dangerous, and this is the second time this year that this ship, the Yantar has deployed to UK waters.
“So my message to Russia and to Putin is this: we see you, we know what you’re doing, and if the Yantar travels south this week, we are ready.”
WATCH: Defence minister Luke Pollard refuses to say if China ‘super embassy’ plans should be rejected
Tory councillor defects to Reform UK and becomes party’s chief advisor on global affairs
Conservative councillor, Dr Alan Mendoza, has defected to Reform UK.
Dr Mendoza, who serves the Abbey Road ward on Westminster City Council, will join Councillor Laila Cunningham to become Reform UKâs second representative on the local authority.
The councillor, who is also co-founder of leading foreign policy and national security at think tank, The Henry Jackson Society, will take on the role of Reform’s chief advisor on global affairs.
Dr Mendoza said: “Britain today is in abject crisis. At home and abroad, our leaders seem determined to chart a course of national and international decline.
“But the British people deserve better than this. And in Reform UK we finally have a party who will put our interests first, and ensure that our tomorrow is better than our today.
âThis is the party that Iâm proud to join. This is the party that will bring change that the entire nation can be proud of, and which will restore us to the first rank of global powers where we belong.â
WATCH: Mel Stride says 2024 emigration stats ‘indicative of UK’s economy’ as figures show more than 250,000 Britons left in year Labour came to power
Tories blame Labour’s last Budget for fuelling inflation
The Conservatives have placed blame on Rachel Reevesâ last Budget for fuelling inflation after figures showed the rate of Consumer Prices Index inflation fell to 3.6 per cent in October.
Shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride said: “Inflation has been above target every single month since Labourâs last Budget, leaving working people worse off.
“Labourâs last Budget hiked borrowing and taxes, stoking the inflation now hitting families.
“If Labour had any backbone, they would adopt our ÂŁ47billion savings plan and our golden economic rule next week to ease inflationary pressures.
“Only the Conservatives have the leader with a backbone, the plan and the team to stabilise the public finances â reducing inflation and delivering a stronger economy.”
WATCH: Rachel Reeves says Budget leaks ‘not acceptable’
Rachel Reeves should not use fallen inflation to justify ‘stealth tax’ – Lib Dems
Rachel Reeves should not use lower inflation as a justification for “stealth tax” at the Budget, the Liberal Democrats have said.
The partyâs Treasury spokeswoman Daisy Cooper said: “As the cost-of-living crisis rages on, the Chancellor mustnât look this small gift horse in the mouth.
“Hitting people with a stealth tax at next weekâs Budget would prolong the pain of higher taxes for much longer and unfairly pull poorer pensioners and low-income workers into paying tax for the first time.
“We Liberal Democrats are calling for emergency measures to slash peopleâs energy bills, save our high streets with a VAT cut for hospitality and boost growth in every corner of the UK â funded fairly by taxing the banks.
“The Chancellor must put households and high streets first, and put an end to the most vulnerable from having to choose between heating and eating.”
Inflation falls for first time in months handing Rachel Reeves a small boost ahead of Budget
Inflation has dropped to 3.6 per cent, the latest figures show
 | GETTY/ONSInflation has dropped to 3.6 per cent, offering households a small break from the cost of living crisis as price rises continue to cool.
The latest consumer prices index (CPI) figures were released this morning, down from 3.8 per cent in September.
The slight fall will come as rare good news for Chancellor Rachel Reeves just one week before she delivers her Budget on November 26.
Economists had widely predicted todayâs result after months of signals that inflation had “peaked”, and most expect the rate to keep easing gradually into next year.
