Labour lost almost 1,500 councillors in local elections across England amid a surge for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, with the Greens also eating into the party’s support in London and other urban areas.
It was also kicked out of power in Wales, where it has enjoyed political dominance for a century, and returned just 17 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, its worst ever result at a Holyrood election.
The polls, the biggest set of elections since Labour’s landslide election victory in 2024, had been billed as a key test for Sir Keir amid dire poll ratings for Labour.
More than 30 Labour MPs have publicly called for the prime minister to resign or to set out a timetable for his departure in the wake of the results.
However the party’s rulebook presents a hurdle for potential leadership hopefuls, with contenders required to win the endorsement of 81 Labour MPs, a fifth of the current total, in order to trigger a contest.
Burnham’s supporters are hoping a leadership contest can be delayed until he is able to return to Parliament. As things stand, no MP has said they would be prepared to vacate their seat to pave the way for him to return.
Rayner resigned as Sir Keir’s deputy prime minister last September after it emerged she had failed to pay the correct amount of stamp duty on a £800,000 flat in Hove.
It has been widely reported that she is still waiting for the result of an HMRC investigation into the purchase, which could complicate any immediate leadership campaign.