𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

After hours of wondering who will be first to break cover and demand an end to the Starmer era of British politics, we’ve finally had an answer. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has plunged the knife into Keir Starmer’s back, in yet another devastating “et tu, Brute” moment in British politics.

Speaking out at an emergency press conference this afternoon, Mr Sarwar said his message wasn’t easy, as he has a “genuine friendship” with Sir Keir. However his first priority is to Scotland, and the PM is now risking sacrificing the country to a third decade of SNP rule. “That’s why the distraction needs to end, and the leadership in Downing Street has to change… We can not allow the failures at the heart of Downing Street to mean the failures continue here in Scotland.”

“I have to be honest about failure wherever I see it – the situation in Downing Street is not good enough. There have been too many mistakes. They promised they were going to be different, but too much has happened.”

While the Scottish leader’s intervention is brutal, all eyes will now turn to whether any Cabinet Minister will be brave enough to follow suit.

Whatever they have to say will undoubtedly hold more water than Mr Sarwar’s intervention. Lest we forget that under Boris Johnson, the Scottish Tory leader repeatedly called on him to go – demands that were largely ignored south of the border.

One of the bizarre features of today has been the complete radio silence from Labour MPs and ministers.

Even in the final days of both Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, the No. 10 operations managed to find supportive outriders willing to go out onto the BBC and Sky News and spin in favour of their leaders.

But today there hasn’t been a peep. Where are the Starmerites telling us he’s the right man to be Prime Minister? That there will be chaos if he goes? That’s the one thing Reform and the Tories most want?

It’s been 24 hours since we last heard from a member of the Cabinet. But their silence suggests they know the game is up, and they’re readying their leadership campaigns.

No doubt many of them were hoping to wait another few months. One Kemi Badenoch advisor this morning told me they still believed they’d let Starmer hang on until the local elections.

None of them wants to take the crown only to have to deal with potentially crushing losses in the Gorton and Denton by-election and the May local elections.

On top of that, Wes Streeting needs time to cool off from his links to Peter Mandelson, and Angela Rayner remains under investigation by HMRC into her taxes.

All the while Keir Starmer is in the bunker. We’ve not heard from him, and Number 10 continues to insist we’re not going to hear from him all day, until he speaks to Labour MPs in private this evening.

This morning, the Prime Minister’s spokesman even went so far as to claim he’s “upbeat” and “confident”.

The reality is Keir Starmer is currently hidden somewhere inside the rabbit warren of Downing Street with a revolver and a bottle of whisky.