Keir Starmer ‘planning to axe Rachel Reeves’ in ‘final roll of the dice’ to save premiership

Dan McDonald
Sun, 26 Apr 2026 02:24:45 +0000

Labour sources have claimed Sir Keir Starmer is weighing up sacking Chancellor Rachel Reeves after the local elections in a dramatic bid to save his premiership.

The shake-up is allegedly being lined up for the days following next month’s local elections on May 7, as the Prime Minister seeks to reassert control, the Daily Mail has reported.

According to party sources, Sir Keir is prepared to sacrifice his Chancellor in a bid to shore up his authority.

One insider described the move to the newspaper as “one final roll of the dice” - particularly if Labour suffers heavy losses at the polls.

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Downing Street is said to be considering installing Yvette Cooper in the Treasury’s top job should Ms Reeves be removed.

However, the move could trigger backlash from Labour’s so-called soft-Left, with allies said to be pushing for Ed Miliband to take over at No11 instead.

The competing factions risk exposing deeper divisions within Labour at a time when party unity is under strain.

The reshuffle speculation comes amid growing unease over Sir Keir’s leadership as the Lord Mandelson scandal continues to rumble on.

While Downing Street is said to be hopeful a reset could head off potential leadership challenges, critics have warned it may backfire.

One Westminster source told the Daily Mail: “Reshuffles always create more enemies than friends. This will certainly be no exception.”

Some Labour MPs are also believed to be questioning whether the Prime Minister still has the authority to remove his Chancellor.

However, others insist Sir Keir remains willing to act.

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One adviser said: “It’s not true that he’s too close to Rachel to sack her… he now thinks sacking people saves his own skin in the short term.”

Meanwhile, a senior Labour source delivered a blunt verdict, branding the mooted reshuffle “the last gasp of a dying man”.

Despite growing calls for him to step down, Sir Keir has vowed to carry on, insisting he still believes Labour can win the next general election.

He told The Times: “I think it’s going to be a very important general election.

"It’s likely to be Labour versus Reform. An election where the defining question is, what is it to be British?

"An election where what I would call 'patriotic values' of tolerance, decency, live and let live, diversity, are under challenge like we’ve never seen before."

However, Labour backbenchers have begun publicly voicing their calls for the Prime Minister to resign amid fears of a May 7 bloodbath.

Johnathan Bash, MP for Hartlepool, and Graham Stringer, MP for Blackley and Middleton South, have both urged Sir Keir to stand aside to make way for fresh blood.

GB News has approached Downing Street for comment.