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Rachel Reeves will be sacked as Chancellor by Andy Burnham if he ousts Sir Keir Starmer, it has been claimed. The wannabe Prime Minister, who won the by-election in Makerfield on Friday, will arrive in Westminster tomorrow.

Sir Keir is under intense pressure to stand down or set out a timetable for his departure. Ms Reeves’s allies are mounting a charm offensive to keep her in place.

They say the Chancellor would have the advantage of reassuring the markets during any transition.

But Mr Burnham’s allies have concluded she would not represent a sufficient change in direction.

Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, Wes Streeting, the former health secretary, Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, and John Healey, the former defence secretary, have all been mooted as would-be contenders.

Mr Burnham was urged to publicly rule out appointing Miliband as Chancellor on Saturday

Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, Britain’s biggest trade union, said: “It is no secret that I disagree with Ed on almost every issue relating to a workers’ transition. Ed only seems to be interested in one side of the equation, rushing Britain to net zero with almost no thought for jobs, skills and national security.”

She also urged Mr Burnham not to retreat on Sir Keir’s plans to water down electric car sales targets, called on him to reverse his opposition to a third runway at Heathrow and demanded he back a return to North Sea oil drilling.

Mr Burnham will be sworn in as the MP for Makerfield tomorrow.

Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, is understood to have told the prime minister to stand down, the BBC reported, joining the growing number of cabinet ministers losing faith in his leadership.

The Greater Manchester Mayor has also been urged by the economist Jim O’Neill, who has long informally advised him, to scrap the pension triple lock.

Mr O’Neill said: “I’m trying to say him you have this ambition to be the leader, one of these years you’ve got to deal with the sacred cows and think that the reward would be a significantly low bond market premium and a big boost to financial conditions that would boost consumer and corporate confidence.”