Sir Keir Starmer has been warned to brace for a showdown with Labour’s hard-left today as MPs plot to enter the race to replace Angela Rayner as the party’s deputy leader.
The Prime Minister, who has already appointed David Lammy and Steve Reed to fill Ms Rayner’s shoes as Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, is now expected to face a challenge from the Labour left in what could be a major challenge to his premiership.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage issued Sir Keir a stark warning about the challenge on Friday, saying: "Splits in Labour are coming."
Ex-Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry is widely expected to throw her hat into the ring, having been sacked by Sir Keir immediately after the 2024 General Election.
But the Prime Minister’s challengers on the left of the party have been sharpening their knives over the weekend by accusing Sir Keir of a "stitch-up."
John McDonnell, who served as Jeremy Corbyn’s Shadow Chancellor, claimed there was "no time" for MPs to discuss potential nominations in their respective constituencies.
He added: "Rule changes brought in by current leadership doubling nominations threshold makes it almost impossible for left candidates to get on the ballot paper... to exclude party members from having the opportunity to influence the nomination process smacks of deep-seated insecurity in the ruling circle."
Meanwhile, Labour MP Richard Burgon, who recently had the whip restored after his two-child benefit cap revolt last summer, warned the new process is the “mother of all stitch-ups”.
Sir Keir Starmer is facing a potentially difficult challenge from the Labour left in the upcoming deputy leadership contest
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"This is a desperate move to keep Labour members’ voices out of this race and to dodge serious discussion on what’s gone wrong over the last year - from the positions on disability benefits cuts, on winter fuel payments, on Gaza and more," the Leeds East MP argued.
"This outrageous timetable shows a leadership that's unwilling to listen and to learn the lessons needed if we’re to rebuild support and stop Nigel Farage."
The National Executive Committee (NEC) will decide on a timeline and rules for the contest later today, including how many nominations candidates need from fellow MPs to make it onto the ballot.
Labour's membership has tacked left of its MPs in recent years, with a parliamentary coup to replace Mr Corbyn being seen off with relative ease and Sir Keir later being forced to pivot to a more overtly left-wing position to secure the top job.
Sir Keir Starmer is facing a potentially difficult challenge from the Labour left in the upcoming deputy leadership contest
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However, Labour last month recorded a loss of around 200,000 members since Sir Keir replaced Mr Corbyn as party leader.
It is not yet clear if the remaining 333,235 members registered at the end of last year sit on the exact same position of the political spectrum as they had under Mr Corbyn in 2019.
Meanwhile, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who is seen by many as Sir Keir’s successor-in-waiting, also gave his two cents on who should replace Ms Rayner.
He said: "Obviously, I am biased, but somebody from these parts [the North], I think would be great. Louise Haigh, possibly Lucy Powell, who I think did a brilliant job in Government."
Angela Rayner resigned as Deputy Prime Minister over her stamp duty row
| PALouise Haigh appeared to set out her pitch for the job earlier this morning.
Writing for the New Statesman, Ms Haigh said: "There is a democratic argument at the heart of this as well.
"A Labour Government with a landslide majority in Parliament cannot – and should not – be stopped from delivering the change we clearly set out in our manifesto simply because of assumptions made by the OBR [Office for Budget Responsibility]."
Despite hinting at a potential run, Ms Haigh could struggle given she was forced out as Transport Secretary over her 2013 fraud conviction.
Lucy Powell and Louise Haigh have been given half endorsements by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham
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Meanwhile, Ms Powell was only booted out of Sir Keir’s Cabinet as Commons Leader a few days ago.
Labour veteran Baroness Harman, who herself had an eight-year stint as deputy leader, demanded Ms Rayner's replacement is also a woman.
Speaking to the BBC, Lady Harman said: “I think if the party are getting on with it rapidly, that’s right.
“In terms of extending the breadth of the leadership, it probably needs to be someone outside London and it definitely needs to be a woman.
Newly appointed Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood arrives in Downing Street
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“But there are 185 Labour women MPs, many of them very talented indeed.”
Sir Keir is said to have been trying to push his new Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, to run as No10's choice for deputy leader.
Despite serving alongside Sir Keir since 2020, Ms Rayner was seen as far closer to Labour's hard-left rebels due to her high-profile role in Mr Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet.
Ms Rayner, who resigned after admitting her wrongdoing in her recent stamp duty row, was also often accused of plotting against the Prime Minister.