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Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has reportedly told her allies that they must move on the Prime Minister and oust him from office. Widely considered to be a frontrunner for the post should Sir Keir Starmer be removed, Ms Rayner, 46, reportedly told her cadre of supporters that it was "now or never" to kick her embattled boss out of Downing Street.

The Labour grandee, who was turfed out of her position as deputy prime minister over her tax affairs, is said to be canvassing for support from the backbenches as she plots to pounce as soon as possible. Sir Keir's position at the very top of the Labour Party has been weakened after calls for him to resign following new developments in the Lord Mandelson vetting scandal.

This month, it emerged that the disgraced peer, Sir Keir's pick for the plum posting of US Ambassador, had not passed vetting for his security clearance. He was granted it anyway, and after months of telling MPs that "due process" was followed, Sir Keir stood accused of misleading the House of Commons - claims he denies.

Now Ms Rayner, branded the 'Red Queen' by Westminster insiders, is said to be plotting her revenge on her former boss with her allies briefing the Mail on Sunday that the removal of Sir Keir "needs to happen now, otherwise this deadly stalemate will drag on forever. That it's now or never."

It comes ahead of a politically dangerous week for the Prime Minister, who could face a vote by the House of Commons to decide his political future. This week, the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsey Hoyle - who was elected as a Labour MP - will decide whether or not he will grant opposition parties a vote to refer the Prime Minister to the privileges committee.

Such a vote, if passed, would trigger a "sleaze inquiry" as MPs decide whether or not Sir Keir misled the House over the appointment of Lord Mandelson as US Ambassador. The same committee brought down Boris Johnson, and allies of the Prime Minister say that if the vote passed, and he was called to the Committee, he would, in effect, be finished.

Ms Rayner is one of the main rivals to Sir Keir ahead of a potential leadership race, and is considered the frontrunner, as Labour Mayor Andy Burnham would be facing an uphill battle as he does not hold a seat in Parliament. It was reported that Ms Rayner may consider holding back on her bid until after her tax affair issue has been put to bed.

But sources told the Mail on Sunday that she may press ahead sooner, as she thinks she will either be exonerated or found only to have committed a minor technical breach for underpaying stamp duty on her seaside pad on the south coast.

One source told the paper: "Ideally she wanted to wait for the tax issue to be sorted. But she came to the view that if it all kicked off she'd have to throw her hat in the ring. And it's all kicking off." Another said that the former deputy prime minister was "over the moon" to be edging closer to an agreement on the matter with tax bosses.

MPs must have the backing of 81 of their colleagues to launch a bid to take control of the Labour Party. Andy Burham, Yvette Cooper and Ed Miliband are all reported to be being considered by MP's as potential replacements for Sir Keir.

The proposed vote on whether or not the Prime Minister should be summoned to the so-called sleaze committee comes after Sir Keir claimed No10 had put no pressure "whatsoever" on the Foreign Office over Lord Mandelson's appointment. His comments appear counter to those of Sir Olly Robbins, the department's former permanent secretary, who told MPs earlier on that Downing Street had exerted "constant pressure" to install the Labour peer to his plum Washington post.