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The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has said Labour MPs have privately told him to challenge Sir Keir Starmer. The former Labour Cabinet member also called for a "wholesale change" to see off an "existential" threat to the party from Reform UK as speculation grows as to whether he could launch a leadership bid. Mr Burnham criticised the Prime Minister's approach, saying the "challenge we've got in front of us cannot be met by a very factional and quite divisive running of the Labour Party".

He then set out his vision for a "plan to turn the country around" in an interview for the cover of the New Statesman magazine, three days before the start of Labour's party conference. Asked about the Mayor's comments this morning, Starmer's Housing Secretary Steve Reed told the BBC: "We need to be focused on the country, not the party. I would urge everyone in the Labour Party to spend conference focusing on how we drive change."

Earlier, he said people had "taken pot shots at Keir Starmer before".

Mr Reed added: "When it happened in opposition, he picked this party up off the floor and he led us to a record-breaking general election victory.

"Our job now is to talk to the country, not to ourselves, about how we're going to change the things that they care about."

It comes after controversies ousted Starmer's deputy, Angela Rayner, and US ambassador, Peter Mandelson from their positions.

Mr Burnham is not the only person who could oust the PM, with he possibility remaining that Ms Rayner could make a shock return.

Ed Miliband could also mount a challenge, as well as other big Cabinet beasts like the Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper; the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood and the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting.

So what do you think? Who should replace Keir Starmer as PM?

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Mr Burnham said: "I'm going to put the question back to people at Labour conference: are we up for that wholesale change?

"Because I think that's what the country needs," he said.

"If you're asking me, am I attracted to going back into my old world and the old way of doing things in Westminster with minimal change, well no, I wouldn't find that attractive.

"([But) am I ready to work with anybody who wants to sort of put in place a plan to turn the country around?

"I'm happy to play any role. I am ready to play any role in that. Yes. Because the threat we're facing is increasingly an existential one."