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A former advisor to Keir Starmer has said the UK’s future would look worse without him as the Prime Minister finds himself on the brink. The ex-Labour staffer told The Express anonymously that Sir Keir has shown bad judgement, but nevertheless urged him to stay on in Number 10. They said: “The poor judgement around appointing Mandelson means the chickens are coming home to roost.

“Myriad issues and concerns over his leadership have compounded and come to a head at the same time and it’s starting to resemble a runaway train – first Tim Allen going, now Sarwar putting in the boot. It takes far more courage and gumption to steer into the storm and hold steady than give up and go home.”

But, all that notwithstanding, they added: “All that said – I hope he stays. Starmer remains one of the most decent, honest and trustworthy people to have held this office in recent times and the future of the country without him feels far more chaotic and darker than him staying put.”

A number of the PM’s Cabinet colleagues lurched to defend him after the leader of Scottish Labour, Anas Sarwar, called on him to quit this afternoon.

Mr Sarwar said the “distraction” in Downing Street needs to end as he called for Sir Keir to stand down.

He told a press conference his first priority is to Scotland and that he did not want to “sacrifice” the country to a third decade of an SNP government.

“That’s why the distraction needs to end, and the leadership in Downing Street has to change.

“It is so obvious that we desperately need change in Scotland and in three months time the opportunity to get rid of a failing SNP government is one that is too important to be missed.

“We cannot allow the failures at the heart of Downing Street to mean the failures continue here in Scotland, because the election in May is not without consequence for the lives of Scots.”

She said: “Rebuilding Britain takes time. But thanks to the decisions we’ve made NHS waiting lists are falling. Inflation is falling. Interest rates are falling.

“The conditions for the economy to grow are there.

“With Keir as our Prime Minister we are turning the country around.”

The Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a post on X: “Later this week, Keir Starmer will lead our delegation to the Munich Security Conference.

“At this crucial time for the world, we need his leadership not just at home but on the global stage, and we need to keep our focus where it matters, on keeping our country safe.”