SIR Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting were in a stand-off over the Labour leadership last night as the government started to disintegrate and the party’s right split.

By early evening, four ministers had quit and nearly 90 Labour MPs had called on the Prime Minister to set a date for his departure.

But Sir Keir defied the calls and challenged his critics to fight him under the party’s rules, which require at least 81 MPs to nominate a rival candidate. More than 100 MPs signed a letter backing his stand.

The premier bluntly told a tense Cabinet meeting that he was not resigning, seen as a rebuke to Mr Streeting, the Health Secretary, whose supporters have been agitating for a swift change at No 10.

Leading left MP John McDonnell accused the Blairite Mr Streeting of plotting a “coup” designed to get him not Downing Street when the main alternative, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, is still unable to stand.

Mr McDonnell called “for time for serious discussion, no precipitous coup and a fully democratic process if [there is a] leadership election.

“Instead Wes Streeting has launched coup for fear of a democratic process and while candidates are blocked. Handing leadership to Mandelson’s protege is a gift to Reform.”

And Socialist Campaign Group secretary Richard Burgon underlined that “we need an orderly timetable for Keir’s departure and a proper democratic leadership election — not a Wes Streeting-organised palace coup.”

Yet the dam was breaking as ministers resigned from the government, following five more junior parliamentary private secretaries, who left on Monday evening.

The most damaging resignation was safeguarding minister Jess Phillips, who accused Sir Keir of stalling measures to protect girls online because of his fear of the big tech companies.

“I know you care deeply but deeds, not words are what matter. I’m not sure we are grasping this rare opportunity with the gusto that’s needed and I cannot keep waiting around for a crisis to push for faster progress,” she wrote in her resignation letter.

“Decency is vital, calm curiosity is also needed, but so too are fight and drive required. I’m not seeing the change I think I and the country expect, and so cannot continue to serve as a minister under the current leadership.”

Ms Phillips is seen as a supporter of Mr Streeting but Miatta Fahnbulleh, minister for devolution and communities, who also resigned, is on the “soft left” of the party.

“I urge the Prime Minister to do the right thing for the country and the party and set a timetable for an orderly transition,” she wrote. 

Victims minister Alex Davies-Jones and health minister Zubir Ahmed, another Streeting ally, also resigned.

Ignoring that his administration is in a tail-spin, Sir Keir blocked any discussion of his position, or last week’s disastrous election results for Labour, at the Cabinet meeting.

“The Labour Party has a process for challenging a leader and that has not been triggered. The country expects us to get on with governing. That is what I am doing and what we must do as a Cabinet,” he said.

Sir Keir said he would discuss with ministers individually but then declined to do that either, turning away Mr Streeting. He also declined to meet the Parliamentary Labour Party committee, which sought a discussion.

It is believed that at least five senior ministers now believe that Sir Keir should set a timetable to resign, ideally one that leaves open the possibility of Mr Burnham being able to return to the Commons through a by-election and run for the job.

They are Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Mr Streeting. Defence Secretary John Healey is believed to be ambivalent.

Those publicly backing Sir Keir are hard-line Labour Together operatives Communities Secretary Steve Reed and Business Secretary Peter Kyle, neither of whom would be likely to prosper under a fresh leader. They are angry with their political soul-mate Mr Streeting over his naked ambition.

Among those calling for change today was Leeds Central MP Alex Sobel, who said: “The Prime Minister has to do what is best for the country and the party, not what is best for himself.

“There’s a deeper issue here about leadership, character and integrity. You cannot tell people their lives are better if they don’t feel it.”