THE CASCADE BEGINS?

After several hours of relative calm on Monday afternoon, the resignations began.  The first came at 18:00 on the dot - Tom Rutland (East Worthing and Shoreham) quit his position as parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to the Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds.  He declared: "It is clear to me that the PM has lost authority, not just within the Parliamentary Labour Party, but across the country".  He added that he did not 'have faith in the PM' to meet the challenge posed by Reform UK.

Rutland was followed minutes, if not seconds later, by the PPS to Wes Streeting.  Joe Morris (Hexham) wrote: "It is in the best interests of the country and the party that the PM sets out a swift timetable to ensure that a new leader is in place to regain the confidence of the public".

Morris was followed around 45 minutes later by Naushabah Khan (Gillingham and Rainham), PPS to the Cabinet Office.  She called for 'new leadership' and 'a clear change of direction'.

Over an hour passed before a fourth PPS resigned.  Melanie Ward (Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy) stood down as Dave Lammy's PPS and echoed earlier resignation statements by declaring that the PM no longer had the 'trust and confidence of the public'.

The number of MPs publicly calling for Starmer to go is now also rising steadily.  Last night it stood at 42, but it has now risen to 64.  Earlier today the Housing Secretary Steve Reed claimed that 'around 90 per cent' of MPs wanted the PM to stay on.  Within hourse of this interview the number of MPs calling on Starmer to go had risen to almost 16 per cent of the PLP.

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