Chris Mason: PM confronts his most difficult day as party revolts

"Clearly, a cabinet split on this is unsustainable. Either cabinet ministers have to resign or be sacked, or the prime minister himself has to go. Last night, ministers went in to see Sir Keir and he was met with a range of advice. Some said he should fight on. Some said he should set out a timetable for his departure. And others, as he weighed his options, tried to help him kick around how he might deal with the scenario he now confronts."

"A dam now appears to have broken, with Labour MPs posting their public loss of confidence in the prime minister with such frequency it can be hard at times to keep count of them. In the hours after the prime minister's crunch speech on Monday, the verdicts, public and private, began to flow. "Just so devastatingly crap" was the pithy and rather brutal view of one Labour MP in touch with me. It was a prescient review given the torrent of public criticism from his own colleagues that was about to be begin."

""A lot of us are watching this slightly aghast. With a war; an economy struggling due to Iran; market gilt movements etc. I'm still of the view that stability is a premium you give up at your peril," one told me. Many of those MPs cannot shake a sense Sir Keir is repellent to too many voters just as Labour wrestles with how to take on Reform UK. But there are plenty of other Labour MPs who look on in horror at the implosion they are witnessing and will be called upon to publicly defend."

"How is the prime minister viewing all this? I have spoken to people who have been involved in conversations with him in recent days. They tell me that he has long been resolute about wanting to carry on, adamant that there is a genuine risk to the party and the country of a p"

A cabinet split has emerged over whether the prime minister should continue in office. Ministers face an unsustainable choice: resignations or sackings, or the prime minister’s departure. After a key speech, public and private judgments from Labour MPs intensified, with frequent posts signaling a loss of confidence. Some MPs believe stability is essential amid multiple pressures, including war, economic strain linked to Iran, and market movements. Others express alarm at the party’s implosion and the political risk of the prime minister being unpopular with voters, especially as Labour seeks to counter Reform UK. People close to the prime minister report he remains resolute about continuing, citing risks to the party and country if he does not.

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