Sir Keir Starmer last night warned his restless backbenchers that Reform is now their main rival for power and they have a 'moral responsibility' to keep Nigel Farage out of No10.
The Prime Minister lashed out at the Reform leader as 'a state-slashing, NHS-privatising Putin apologist' as faced the Parliamentary Labour Party.
A a major chunk of it is threatening to rebel over plans to cut benefits that will be put to a vote in June.
There is also simmering disquiet over his hardline immigration speech last week in which he said that Britain risks becoming 'an island of strangers'.
Labour has been rocked by the defeat to Reform in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election at the start of the month.
