When Catherine West, an obscure backbencher and former junior minister, said on Saturday she would attempt to launch a leadership bid in the days ahead, she was initially greeted by ridicule.

One Labour Party MP described her as “not so much a stalking horse as a stalking centaur”.

But by Sunday, the mood had shifted. MPs woke to an interview Sir Keir Starmer had given to The Observer in which the Prime Minister claimed he would serve another decade in office and seek closer ties to the European Union. To those who thought his reaction to devastating English council and Welsh Senedd losses to Reform UK last week had been hollow and unconvincing, it was the final straw.

MPs who had been laughing at West were now taking her seriously. More worrying for Starmer, those MPs who had been previously loyal in public and in private were beginning to say they would lend her support for a challenge. A streak of nihilism started to spread through some Labour MPs who just want something – anything – to happen.

West said if a planned reset speech by Starmer on Monday fails to signal a sufficient change of direction toward bolder policies, she would be forced to stand.

“We need to install a new leader who can take us towards beating Reform in the general election to come and give us a second term,” West told the BBC. She added that she’d had “lots of interest” from Labour MPs but wouldn’t formally ask for their support until after she’d heard Starmer’s comments.

She repeatedly declined to say whether she’d be able to win the support of 20 per cent of Labour MPs – a total of 81 – and cross the threshold required by the party’s rulebook to trigger a leadership election.

Around 30 Labour MPs, mostly on the left of the party, have called for Starmer either to resign or to set a timetable for departure. Now those calls are coming from the right as well.

“Unless the Prime Minister can pull off the........

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