It’s fair to say that Sir Keir Starmer hasn’t had a great 2026 so far, with questions being raised about his leadership less than two years after winning a historic general election landslide.
There was Labour’s third place in the Gorton and Denton byelection behind the victorious Green Party and Reform, which came just a couple of weeks after Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar called for the leader to step down.
The latter half of 2025 wasn’t much better, with 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.
The latest revelation is that Mandelson failed his security vetting clearance but that the Foreign Office overruled the decision to allow him to take up the role.
Sir Keir insists that he was never informed of the decision, but some political rivals have accused him of misleading parliament, calling for him to step down.
Now this week will see Scottish and Welsh voters head to the polls to decide who will lead their devolved governments, while in England more that 5,000 seats on 136 councils will be contested, along with six mayoral vacancies.
If Labour do as badly as is widely expected then there will inevitably be further speculation over who will succeed Sir Keir when he eventually stands aside - or is forcibly removed - from office.
Here are the 10 most likely candidates - according to the bookies.
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9. John Healey - 20/1
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 lengthen in the last couple of weeks to take over from Keir Starmer - out to 20/1 from 12/1. | POOL/AFP via Getty Images
10. David Lammy - 25/1
Priced at 25/1 for Labour's top job is current Deputy Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor David Lammy. He's been the MP for Tottenham for 26 years, having first been elected in 2000. | Getty Images