Downing Street insists Keir Starmer ready to fight any challenges to oust him

Plotters were informed an attempted coup would rattle the markets

In a rare attempt by No 10 figures to strengthen the Prime Minister's position, plotters were informed that an attempted coup could rattle the markets, per The Telegraph.

Prime Minister Starmer's supporters have accused the Health Secretary Wes Steeting and Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, of being on leadership manoeuvres.

The claims led to a rather vicious briefing war on Tuesday night as supporters of the accused ministers said Downing Street was pushing "nonsense" allegations.

However, Downing Street's decision to brief about the Prime Minister’s determination to stay in No 10 does suggest there is a real concern at play.

Sir Keir's position has been weakened following a series of mishaps, such as messy welfare reforms and poor handling of the Angela Rayner and Lord Mandelson scandals.

It was earlier this year that the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, sparked speculation he could replace Sir Keir by not ruling out the possibility of replacing Sir Keir during interviews.

In addition, Labour has trailed Reform UK in the polls since May's local elections. Labour currently stands at 18 per cent, compared with Farage’s party at 31 per cent.

Soft-Left MPs also fear Labour will lose voters to progressive parties following a recent surge in support for the Green Party and defeat by Plaid Cymru in a by-election, per The Telegraph.

A Downing Street source told The Telegraph it would be very unwise to challenge the PM.

"Any attempt to bring political instability into a Government with a very stable majority would be economically and politically extremely unwise," the source said.

When asked what would happen if Sir Keir faced a leadership challenge, the source added: "Of course, he would stand in a contest if challenged. But it is all hypothetical."

A second Downing Street source also claimed not to be concerned if the Prime Minister would face a challenge, but claimed Sir Keir would "of course" fight any leadership election.

No sitting Labour PM has ever been removed by a formal leadership challenge, however, Sir Tony Blair did step down after years of pressure from his chancellor, Gordon Brown.