Ministers plotting 'Trojan Horse' scheme to replace Keir Starmer with Andy Burnham

Ministers are reportedly plotting a "Trojan Horse" scheme to position Andy Burnham as a potential successor to Sir Keir Starmer following tomorrow's local elections.

A Labour MP from the northwest could vacate their seat as early as next week, creating a by-election opportunity for the Greater Manchester mayor to return to Parliament.

Those backing the proposal would pressure the Prime Minister to abandon his resistance to Mr Burnham's comeback, making this a condition for their ongoing support of his leadership.

Under the terms of the arrangement, Mr Burnham would need to issue a public declaration of allegiance to Sir Keir, effectively barring him from launching an immediate bid for premiership.

One source told the Daily Mail: "The attraction for Keir is there is no guarantee Andy will win the by-election. If he wants to be the candidate, he will need to sign a loyalty oath to the Prime Minister. And it buys Keir a bit more time to see if he can turn things round."

The scheme would leave Labour members with a viable alternative leader already in place, should Sir Keir's performance fail to improve over the coming months amid the threat of Reform UK and the Greens.

Members of the Cabinet promoting the strategy intend to present it to Sir Keir as his best chance of salvaging his time in Downing Street.

For the PM, it means accepting a potential rival into his parliamentary ranks; meanwhile, Mr Burnham risks sacrificing his mayoral position, without guaranteeing a route back to Westminster.

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When will local election results be declared?

Polling stations open for local elections in England, Scotland and Wales tomorrow, that will have huge implications for all the major political parties.

While some will have cast their vote already by post or in four flexible pilot schemes in English councils, most will be heading to their polling station between 7am and 10pm.

Counting of the votes for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments will not start until Friday morning, but 46 of the 136 English local authorities are doing so overnight, with the first results expected soon after midnight.

Four councils are not counting until Saturday, three because they also have mayoral elections, and the final result is likely to be late on Saturday night.

Estimated declaration times are approximate and can be affected by issues such as delays in verifying and counting ballots, or by recounts, as well as turnout.