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A Labour coup to force Sir Keir Starmer to resign will begin on Friday morning, it has been claimed. Supporters of Andy Burnham are to demand the Prime Minister’s resignation within hours of the result of the Makerfield by-election being declared, according to reports. Voters go to the polls in the North West constituency on Thursday, with Mr Burnham tipped by pollsters to win although Reform UK insist they are still in with a chance of victory.

The result will be announced in the early hours of Friday morning, and if the Greater Manchester mayor is re-elected as an MP then it appears the campaign to force Sir Keir out will begin almost immediately. More than 100 Labour MPs who back Mr Burnham are expected to demand Sir Keir sets out a timetable for his departure.

A separate letter nominating Mr Burnham for the party leadership will also be circulated. Under Labour Party rules, he would need the support of 81 MPs to trigger a leadership contest.

And there could also be more ministerial resignations, following the bombshell resignation of Defence Secretary John Healey last week.

The hope is that Sir Keir will agree to stand aside, avoiding a bloody leadership battle in which Mr Burnham has to take on a sitting Prime Minister.

This would pave the way for a “coronation”, in which the Mayor would be named leader and Prime Minister without a contest, or a battle against other contenders such as former health secretary Wes Streeting. This would be less divisive than a leadership election in which Sir Keir is fighting to keep his job.

There is intense speculation about who will be in Mr Burnham’s cabinet. It had been reported that he could keep Rachel Reeves as Chancellor, but this is now unlikely after she was blamed for blocking defence spending and causing a huge Cabinet row.

Sir Keir has insisted he will not resign, saying last week he will take part in any leadership contest, which he is automatically able to do under Labour Party rules.

He said “I don’t think we should plunge the country into the chaos of a leadership election … I don’t think it should happen, but if it does then I will fight.”

However, Labour insiders point out that the Prime Minister has to say this to avoid losing all authority, and will not drop any hints about resigning until the moment it happens.