"At the moment of greatest peril for Starmer, MPs peered over the precipice and didn't like what they saw. In the fortnight since, not much has changed. Even with Labour's humiliating defeat in the Gorton and Denton byelection, where it was pushed into third place behind the Greens and Reform UK, the uneasy truce has persisted."
"Starmer's allies are determined to make the most of what is likely to be a brief hiatus. Keir is stronger for MPs having stepped back from the abyss. They know a contest would unleash more chaos and their constituents would hate it. They believe he has time to prove his detractors wrong first with the spring statement on Tuesday."
"He also insisted he would lead Labour into the next general election and win it, despite the party trailing in the polls. But even his closest aides acknowledge that the aftermath of the May elections will be a crunch point and he is likely to face a leadership challenge then unless he reassures anxious MPs."
Keir Starmer faced a leadership crisis when Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar urged him to stand down. Starmer's advisers presented three options: fight, flee, or call a leadership contest. Starmer chose to fight, and his team worked to contain the threat. MPs, facing the prospect of a leadership contest, stepped back from the brink, recognizing the chaos it would cause. Despite Labour's humiliating third-place finish in the Gorton and Denton byelection, an uneasy truce persists among MPs who are described as dejected but not mutinous. Starmer's allies believe he has time to prove critics wrong through upcoming economic announcements and cost-of-living measures in April. However, the May elections represent a critical juncture where he may face a leadership challenge unless he reassures anxious MPs.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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