LABOUR was urged to fight for unions and left-wing groups as Sir Keir Starmer held an extended cabinet meeting today after the Bank of England halved its growth estimates for this year.

The Prime Minister called the six-hour meeting with his top team after the bank warned GDP would reach just 0.75 per cent in 2025 and remain weaker than expected for the next couple of years.

Held in a secret location away from No 10, civil servants were sent out of the room after the first two hours, leaving ministers to discuss Labour’s dire polling figures ahead of the local elections in May.