Labour’s third place in the Gorton and Denton byelection behind the victorious Green Party and Reform has raised further questions about Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.
It comes just a couple of weeks after Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar piled pressure on Sir Keir Starmer by calling for him to step down.
And it was just the latest bad news story for the Prime Minister a mere 18 months after a spectacular election landslide triumph.
The intervening period has seen a succession of problematic stories for the Premier, along with cabinet scandals and embarrassing u-turns - including on an income tax rise at the last budget.
And the worst was yet to come - courtesy of the scandal linking former British Ambassador to the United States Lord Mandelson to financier sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson has since been arrested by police.
More poor performances for Labour at May’s Scottish Holyrood Election and English local elections could see any remaining support for the beleagured PM vanish.
There is now growing speculation over who will succeed him when he eventually stands aside - or is forcibly removed - from office.
Here are the 13 most likely candidates - according to the bookies.
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5. Yvette Cooper - 12/1
The last time Yvette Cooper attempted to become Labour leader was in 2015 following the resignation of Ed Miliband, coming third to eventual winner Jeremy Corbyn. She's another candidate who has seen her odds shorten in the last few weeks - now down to 12/1. Her husband could also give her advice about any leadership campaign - Ed Balls unsuccessfully stood in 2010. | Getty Images
6. John Healey - 12/1
A real Labour stalwart, John Healey has been an MP since 1997 and held various junior ministerial positions under Tony Blair and Gorden Brown. He is currently Secretary of State for Defence and has seen his odds slashed in the last week to take over from Keir Starmer - down from 22/1 to 12/1. | AFP via Getty Images
7. Alistair Carns -12/1
Aberdeen-born politician Alistair Carns has only been an MP since 2024, having previously been an officer in the Royal Marines. He's priced at 12/1 for the job of Labour leader. | Getty Images
8. Andy Burnham - 14/1
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham is a hugely popular figure with both Labour MPs and voters. He's another potential candidate who has refused to rule out standing in any leadership challenge. The one (fairly large) problem is that he's not an MP so would need to contest and win a byelection first - something that he was recently blocked from doing by the party's NEC. That's perhaps the only reason why his odds on becoming next Labour leader are as long as 14/1. | Getty Images