Number 10 is going on the attack ahead of a difficult budget this month, with fears it could prove so unpopular that Labour MPs may move against Sir Keir.

But Sky News political editor Beth Rigby reports the prime minister "has no intention of giving way", with allies warning any challenge would lead to a "drawn-out leadership election, spook the markets, and create more chaos that further damages the Labour brand".

One senior figure told Rigby any move against Sir Keir would be more likely to arrive after next May's elections, rather than the budget.

They said many Labour MPs could probably get behind measures like tax rises for wealthier workers, pensioners and landlords, as well as scrapping the two-child benefit cap, if that's what the chancellor announces on 26 November.

But there are a series of potentially damaging elections in May, including in London and for the Senedd in Wales, as Labour face a challenge from Reform UK on the right and parties like the Greens and Plaid Cymru on the left.

Rigby said there is a "settled view among some very senior figures in the party that Starmer lacks the charisma and communication skills to take on Nigel Farage and win over the public, particularly if or when he breaks a bunch of manifesto pledges".

Sir Keir and Rachel Reeves have refused to rule out breaking their manifesto promises not to raise income tax, national insurance, or VAT at the budget.

The Number 10 operation to ward off a challenge comes after Sky News deputy political editor Sam Coates likened the febrile mood in the Labour high command to the TV hit The Traitors.

Speaking on the Politics At Sam And Anne's podcast, he said: "A minister got in touch at the start of the weekend to say they believe that there's some quite substantial plotting going on.

"They say there was at least one cabinet minister telling colleagues that Keir Starmer, and I quote, is finished."

Read more:
What tax rises will Reeves announce?

Coates said the cabinet minister "absolutely and totally denies they are up to anything nefarious whatsoever".

"I actually do think that this is all in the style of The Traitors, because I'm not sure that there is hard and fast evidence of plotting - there might be some hints from some quarters," he added.

"But what seems to be completely logical is that if you're a bit worried in Number 10, you're trying to pitch roll and ward off people who are maybe thinking about the need to position themselves by starting to get out rumours of plots and hoping that the political system turns against them for disloyalty."

Cloak-and-dagger

Reports emerged on Tuesday night in The Times, The Guardian, and from the BBC of a "bunker mode" in Number 10, "regime change", and "plotting" to replace Sir Keir.

Responding to the reports, Health Secretary Wes Streeting denied he was seeking to oust the prime minister.

A spokesperson for Mr Streeting told Sky News: "These claims are categorically untrue.

"Wes's focus has entirely been on cutting waiting lists for the first time in 15 years, recruiting 2,500 more GPs and rebuilding the NHS that saved his life."

However, there is clearly a co-coordinated campaign by allies of the increasingly unpopular Sir Keir to try to prevent a leadership challenge by a cabinet minister or stalking horse.

Sir Keir's biographer Tom Baldwin questioned the logic of those briefing from within the corridors of power.

"I'm at a loss to understand why anyone would think this sort of briefing will help Keir Starmer, the government, or even their own cause," he said on social media. "Some people just can't resist, I guess, but it's all a bit nuts."

What next?

It comes ahead of Prime Minister's Questions this lunchtime, handing Tory leader Kemi Badenoch the chance to make it an awkward afternoon for Sir Keir.

The health secretary will start his day on Sky News' Morning With Ridge And Frost and will then speak at an NHS providers' conference.

Watch and follow live coverage across Sky News - including in the Politics Hub.

Shouting angrily, crowds demanded access to the compound where thousands of delegates from nations around the world are attending this year's UN convention in Belem, Brazil.

Some waved flags with slogans calling for land rights or carried signs, saying "our land is not for sale".

An indigenous leader from the Tupinamba community, found near the lower reaches of the Tapajos River in Brazil, told Reuters they were upset about ongoing development in the Amazon rainforest.

Security guards pushed the protesters back and used tables to barricade the entrance.

A Reuters witness saw one security guard being rushed away in a wheelchair while clutching his stomach.

Another guard with a fresh cut above his eye told the news agency he had been hit in the head by a heavy drumstick thrown from the crowd. Security confiscated several batons.

The protesters dispersed shortly after the clash.

Security guards later allowed delegates to exit the venue, having earlier asked them to move back inside until the area was clear.

A UN spokesperson said two security staff were injured during the clashes.

Read more from Sky News:
Sally Kirkland dies aged 84
UK stops some intel sharing with US

COP30, which started on 10 November and ends on 21 November, comes at a precarious time for climate action.

The conference has been met with controversy over its location in Belem, on the outskirts of the Amazon.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has highlighted indigenous communities as key players in COP30 negotiations.

Dozens of indigenous leaders arrived earlier this week by boat to take part in the talks and demand more say in how forests are managed.

The organisation apologised on Monday after two of its top figures, including director-general Tim Davie, resigned amid concerns about impartiality - notably the editing of a Panorama documentary from October 2024.

It aired the week before the US presidential election and showed an edited speech made by Mr Trump before the 2021 Capitol riot, in which he appeared to tell supporters he was going to walk there with them to "fight like hell".

Ms Nandy has defended the BBC, saying "some in the House" have suggested the BBC is institutionally biased, but that she disagrees as the BBC is a "light on the hill for people here and across the world".

"All of us in this House should value it, uphold it and fiercely defend it," she added.

The culture secretary said that she has been in "regular contact" with BBC chair Samir Shah, ensuring that where its standards were not met, "firm, swift and transparent action follows".

"I welcome the steps that have already been set out and I will keep the House updated as the BBC leadership grips these issues," she added, saying she agreed with Mr Shah that the national broadcaster has a responsibility to "uphold the highest standards".

Ms Nandy said a review of the BBC's Royal Charter will begin "imminently" and a public consultation will be launched, with more details in the "coming weeks".

Meanwhile, Mr Trump threatened to sue the BBC for $1bn, and a letter dated 9 November from Florida lawyer Alejandro Brito outlines three demands upon the organisation to avoid being sued, with a deadline of 10pm UK time on Friday to respond.

He demanded that the BBC issue a "full and fair retraction" of the documentary, apologise immediately, and "appropriately compensate" Mr Trump.

Shadow culture secretary Nigel Huddleston has demanded an apology from the BBC to Trump and to the British public.

He told the House of Commons on Tuesday that the corporation is "in a sorry mess... of its own making" and "needs saving from itself".

Mr Huddleston stressed that his party wants the BBC to succeed and praises its successes, but emphasised that this "requires institutional change and far more than a few moves at the top".

The problems of the corporation relate to its failure to honour its charter obligation to impartiality, he said.

In an all-staff call on Tuesday morning, the outgoing BBC director-general Mr Davie said the corporation had "made some mistakes that have cost us" but added he was "proud" and that the organisation needed to "fight" for its journalism.

He also admitted: "I think we did make a mistake, and there was an editorial breach, and I think some responsibility had to be taken."

Mr Davie, who has worked for the BBC for 20 years and been in charge for the past five, is not stepping down immediately.

He said in his departure note to staff that he is "working through exact timings with the board to allow for an orderly transition to a successor over the coming months".

There are several potential candidates who could replace him and take on the highest-profile role in British broadcasting, which effectively serves as both the corporation's chief executive and its editor-in-chief across television, radio and online.

In a Q&A with Mr Davie after the all-staff call, staff were frustrated by having their questions vetted, Sky News arts and entertainment correspondent Katie Spencer reports.

Some of the questions were about the controversial appointment of Sir Robbie Gibb, the former Tory director of communications for prime minister Theresa May, to the BBC board.

But when these questions were getting through the vetting process, staff tried to ask questions in the reply boxes, which were public.

The anonymous comments included questions like "How can we claim to be unbiased if Gibb is on the board?" and "Why is Robbie Gibb still on the board?".

Read more:
The man behind the leaked BBC memo
Trump's legal threat letter in full
Who is Sir Robbie Gibb and why are there calls to get him off BBC board?

"I find Robbie Gibb's continued presence at the BBC to be incredibly demoralising. It feels as if he is fighting against and undermining the work we're trying to do," another comment read.

The leaders of the Lib Dems and SNP have both called for Sir Robbie's removal.

But Ms Nandy told the Commons that the government is "unable" to remove Sir Robbie, as "the charter sets a strict legal threshold that must be met before dismissal of a board member".

Paul Lipscombe, 51, from Rothley in Leicestershire, admitted 34 offences against six girls - aged between 12 and 15 - between September 2023 and April 2024 after targeting them via the social media app.

Leicester Crown Court heard that police became aware of his offending after a 15-year-old girl, who was reported missing, told officers that she had been raped.

Prosecutor Frida Hussain KC told Judge Keith Raynor on Monday that Lipscombe was initially arrested on suspicion of kidnapping the missing girl when officers pulled over his car in Birstall, near Leicester, in April 2024.

Ms Hussain told the court the girl went missing from her home late at night and was picked up by Lipscombe nearby, before he took her to a hotel. Police later found the child at a rented address.

"He accused other people of serious crimes simply in order to mask his own crimes," Ms Hussain added.

Follow-up searches at the hotel, his car and home uncovered evidence that the youngster had been sexually assaulted. Police recovered items including soft toys, restraints, vodka, his phone and another mobile which had been wiped.

Devious, scheming and manipulative

Passing sentence on Tuesday, Judge Raynor told Lipscombe he was "intelligent, confident, resourceful and well-organised" and the victims had been "truly vulnerable".

"The evidence shows you to have been devious, scheming and manipulative. You were bold in your offending and you took very high risks. The sexual abuse of young girls was an obsession in life for you," he said.

Leicester Crown Court heard that when Lipscombe initially contacted the girls, he told them he was in his late 20s or early 30s. Five of the six girls had met with him and been raped or sexually assaulted.

A significant number of indecent images of children were discovered on his devices and online storage accounts. He had also set up a website where people could buy illegal videos of child abuse created through AI technology.

The court was told Lipscombe had been targeting girls using several Snapchat accounts, including two fake names, Dom Woodmore and George.

In February, Paul Lipscombe pleaded guilty to 34 offences, including two counts of rape of a child under 13; 21 counts of sexual activity with a child; three counts of sexual assault of a child under 13; and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He also admitted six counts of making indecent photographs of children and distributing indecent photographs of children.

Lipscombe was sentenced on Tuesday to 28 years and one month, and to remain on licence for three years after his release. He has been placed on the sex offenders register for life.

Read more from Sky News:
Bin lorry crashes into building
Lammy: Three prisoners still at large
Conwoman with £5bn Bitcoin jailed

Could be other victims, say police

Detective Constable Lauren Speight, from the Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU), said: "Our investigation into the offending carried out by this man is continuing.

"We suspect he may have been in contact with other girls and could well have committed sexual offences against others. We would urge anyone who has been in contact with him to contact us."

The married NHS executive worked with the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust as a performance and informatics specialist.

In a statement, the trust said Lipscombe was initially suspended when he was arrested, then later dismissed in June 2024.

It added there was "nothing has been identified at this stage to indicate this individual's criminal activity was committed as part of their role".

The troops were seen rolling through the fog on motorbikes, with some on the roofs of battered cars and vans, apparently into the city of Pokrovsk, as Russia said its forces had also pressed further into Kupiansk on Tuesday.

Ukraine has acknowledged the presence of the troops on its territory, although Reuters news agency says that when the video was shot is yet to be verified.

The fight to gain hold of Pokrovsk, a strategic point on a large road and rail artery in the Donetsk region, has been raging for well over a year, in Vladimir Putin's push to gain control of the whole of Ukraine's industrial east.

The Donbas region comprises the neighbouring regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.

Ukraine's military said around 300 Russian soldiers were now inside Pokrovsk and that Moscow had intensified efforts to get more troops in over the past few days - using dense fog for cover from drones.

It said Ukrainian forces were fighting Russian groups in the city.

Moscow says taking Pokrovsk, dubbed "the gateway to Donetsk" by Russian media, would give it a platform to push north towards the two largest remaining Ukrainian-controlled cities in the Donetsk region - Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

Posting on X on Tuesday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: "The front: our main focus right now is on the Pokrovsk direction and the Zaporizhzhia region, where the Russians are increasing the number and scale of assaults.

"The situation there remains difficult, in part because of weather conditions that favor the attacks. But we continue to destroy the occupier, and I thank every one of our units, every warrior involved in defending Ukraine's positions."

Moscow and Kyiv have given different accounts of the battle for Pokrovsk. Moscow has for days said the city is surrounded, while Kyiv has denied Moscow controls the city and said on Monday that it was still able to supply neighbouring Myrnohrad.

Moscow has been threatening Pokrovsk for more than a year, attempting to surround it and threaten supply lines, rather than use the deadly frontal assaults it used to take the city of Bakhmut in 2023.

Russian war bloggers published a video on Tuesday showing what they said were Russian forces entering Pokrovsk along a road enveloped in fog, in what some Telegram users said looked like scenes from the Mad Max action film series, many of which are set in a post-apocalyptic landscape.

The date of the footage has not been independently verified.

Read more:
At least 12 killed after suicide bombing in Pakistan
Thailand-Cambodia peace deal in trouble

Russia said it had taken 256 buildings and that Moscow's forces were actively advancing to the northwest and east of Pokrovsk as well as around the railway station.

Russia has executed a pincer movement around the city and was close to closing it, open-source battlefield maps from both sides show, though Kyiv has counter-attacked around the town of Dobropillia.

Ukraine's top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said in an interview with the New York Post that Russia was concentrating some 150,000 troops in a push to capture Pokrovsk, with mechanised groups and marine brigades forming part of this drive.

Russia said its forces had taken full control of the eastern part of Kupiansk in Ukraine's Kharkiv region. A Russian commander, who gave his call sign as Hunter, said his troops had taken control of an oil depot on the eastern edge of Kupiansk.

In a video statement issued by Russia's defence ministry, he said his forces had also taken control of a series of train stops along the railway to Kupiansk Vuzlovyi, a settlement around 6km (4 miles) south of the centre of Kupiansk itself.

Russia also said its troops had taken control of the settlement of Novouspenivske in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region.

Ukraine withdrew from some villages, including Novouspenivske, due to intense attacks involving more than 400 artillery strikes per day, RBC-Ukraine news agency cited a military spokesperson as saying.

Russia's military says it now controls more than 19% of Ukraine, or some 116,000 square km (44,800 square miles), up from 18% nearly three years ago, according to Ukrainian maps tracking frontline changes.