Rebel Labour MPs have given “indications” they would back the Tories in a no-confidence vote on Keir Starmer, Kemi Badenoch has claimed.
The Leader of the Opposition is inviting disgruntled Labour MPs to join her push to force Sir Keir out of No10 by forcing a general election following a no-confidence vote.
Admitting conversations had been ongoing with Labour rebels, Mrs Badenoch said: “We’ve always been prepared to table a motion of no confidence, but what I want to see is us winning a motion of no confidence and that is why I made the offer to Labour MPs.
“Some have given us indications, but we’re not at the stage yet where the Prime Minister would lose such a motion.
“But I believe that the MPs behind him have lost confidence in the Prime Minister. They’re just now afraid for a general election because they know they would all lose their jobs.”
Sir Keir found himself in a precarious position yesterday after Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar called for his resignation.
Despite speculation about plotters looking to topple the Prime Minister, Sir Keir received the overwhelming support of the Parliamentary Labour Party, including all 26 members of the Cabinet.
A Labour source told GB News: “MPs aren’t going to move against Keir.
“The Socialist Campaign Group will, but the herd hasn’t moved and he’s not going anywhere soon.”
A Labour MP added: “Anas has moved without any coordination. He’s jumped the gun.”
The parliamentary arithmetic means it remains unlikely that Sir Keir would lose a confidence vote in the House of Commons.
The last time a Government collapsed following a confidence vote was in 1979, when Jim Callaghan lost by 311 votes to 310.
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Stanley Baldwin also lost a confidence vote in 1924 after the opposition pinned an amendment to the King’s Speech.
However, attempts to force national polls through no-confidence votes in Boris Johnson and Theresa May proved unsuccessful.
Despite a majority of Labour MPs defending the Prime Minister, a growing number of rebels have broken ranks to call for Sir Keir’s resignation.
Scottish MP Brian Leishman said: “I have said that Keir Starmer’s position is untenable and that it is in the country’s best interest to step down and for the Government to have a change in direction.”
Labour MPs Kim Johnson, Ian Byrne, Jon Trickett, Neil Duncan-Jordan, Rachael Maskell, and Richard Burgon have also put pressure on the Prime Minister to step down.
However, Sir Keir remained defiant about his position following a crunch meeting with MPs last night.
In his first public appearance since staring down rebels, Sir Keir said: “There are some people in recent days who are saying this Labour Government should have a different fight – a fight with itself – instead of a fight for the millions of people who need us to fight for them.
“And I say to them, I will never walk away from the mandate I was given to change this country.
“I will never walk away from the people that I am charged with fighting for and I will never walk away from the country I love.
“And that is the country who I truly believe we are, a compassionate, reasonable, live-and-let-live country. A diverse country, where given half the chance we’ll help each other out.”
The Prime Minister added: “The politics of Reform [is] the politics of divide, divide, divide, grievance, grievance, grievance, that will tear our country apart.
“That is the fight that we are in and I will be in that fight as long as I have breath in my body.”
