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Wes Streeting has told Sir Keir Starmer that he is poised to be the next Prime Minister. The Health Secretary is readying to launch a leadership campaign if Sir Keir is forced from office this week, amid mounting speculation the Prime Minister will have to resign.

Mr Streeting is understood to have told No 10 that he was not planning to challenge Sir Keir directly, but was preparing a "case" for a leadership challenge in case it "all falls apart" and a contest is triggered by another candidate. The Prime Minister is facing calls to leave office from more than 40 of his own MPs, after disastrous results for Labour in this week's local elections.

Catherine West, an ex-minister has threatened to launch a leadership challenge on Monday unless the Cabinet moves to oust him.

Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister, is also thought to be planning a run if a contest breaks out, but is not expected to challenge Sir Keir imminently.

One ally of Mr Streeting told The Telegraph: "Wes has made it clear to No10 that he won't challenge Keir, but he is preparing a case if it all falls apart.

"Like most of the party, he thinks Keir is owed the chance to set out how he's going to turn things around this week. He's not plotting."

It is understood that if Mr Streeting does launch a leadership campaign, he will argue that he is the only candidate who can beat Reform UK, after Labour held on to his local council, Redbridge, in east London, this week.

He believes that Ms Rayner is now more vulnerable to Reform because Tameside council, which includes part of her constituency in Greater Manchester, fell to Nigel Farage's party.

The ally said: "This week has shown he can win. The results in Redbridge show that Wes can beat challengers on both the Left and Right.

"If there's a contest, the next leader of the Labour Party has to be someone who can keep Farage out of No10."

Mr Streeting is waiting to hear the reaction from Labour MPs to Sir Keir's "reset" speech on Monday before deciding on his next steps.

Downing Street sources said Sir Keir would use the speech to lay out his plan to restore trust in the Government, ahead of the King's Speech on Wednesday.

The speech is expected to address the disastrous local election results, pledge new opportunities for young people and lay out plans for a closer relationship with the EU.