Angela Rayner is said to be preparing a bid to oust Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader.

On Thursday, Labour MPs came out of the woodwork to push both Ms Rayner and Wes Streeting to launch a leadership challenge against Sir Keir over the Lord Mandelson scandal.

The ex-Deputy PM is now said to have put together a £1million-valued war chest to back her bid – just days after leading a Labour revolt against attempts to “cover up” files around Lord Mandelson’s chaos-ridden appointment as US ambassador.

She has also told friends she is “ready” to launch a leadership campaign, according to the Mail.

But Ms Rayner’s rumoured ambitions could be derailed by over an unresolved investigation into her tax affairs – for which she resigned last year.

Labour MPs, including her own allies, have warned they may not back her while an HMRC probe runs on.

“I worry about the outstanding tax she apparently owes,” one on the party’s left told The Telegraph.

Another MP said: “She could win the members. However, I don’t see how she can be a candidate until she’s paid. A lot of the wider party would love her to stand.”

Last night, the Prime Minister hosted Labour MPs at Chequers in a bid to win them over after a week of party turmoil.

But his party’s heavyweights have publicly laid into him – ex-frontbencher Andy McDonald said his job was “hanging by a thread”.

Labour’s former deputy leader Baroness Harman said Sir Keir looked weak and gullible, warning on Sky News’s Electoral Dysfunction podcast that the scandal would “finish” him.

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Team Rayner hits back amid reports ex-Deputy PM is plotting bid to oust Keir Starmer

A spokesman for Ms Rayner hit back at reports in the Mail and Telegraph of a leadership bid late last night.

He hit back at suggestions that she told friends she was ready to run, saying: “We do not recognise these claims”.

Then, turning to question marks over her tax affairs, a spokesman said: “Angela said she would cooperate fully with HMRC and continues to do so. A running commentary is not helpful.”

RECAP: Voters demand Keir Starmer quits as PM after Lord Mandelson scandal puts premiership on the brink

Half of Britons want Sir Keir Starmer to quit as Prime Minister following shock revelations about Lord Mandelson, a bombshell poll has revealed.

The survey, conducted by YouGov, found that just 24 per cent of voters want Sir Keir to stay as Labour leader and Prime Minister.

Labour voters remain split on whether Sir Keir should stay in No10, with just 40 per cent supporting the Prime Minister and 37 per cent wanting new leadership.

Meanwhile, an overwhelming majority of both 2024 Tory and Reform UK voters back Sir Keir stepping down.

YouGov polled 6,741 Britons about Sir Keir on February 5, just hours after the Prime Minister admitted No10 knew Lord Mandelson visited Jeffrey Epstein’s house before appointing him as the UK’s Ambassador to the US…

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