THE Energy Secretary has been accused of "ghosting" the Prime Minister after their relationship reportedly soured in recent weeks.
Ed Miliband was one of the most high-profile Labour figures to have been said to support the resignation of Keir Starmer, reportedly advising him in a private meeting to begin planning a timetable for his departure.
The Times now reports that Miliband refused to take calls from the Prime Minister while he struggled to negotiate on defence funding.
Both defence secretary John Healey and armed forces minister Al Carns resigned last week in protest over a perceived lack of adequate funding for the Ministry of Defence.
But Downing Street was reportedly more focused on the prospect of the Energy Secretary jumping ship over plans to cut funding for net zero projects.
The Times reported that Starmer's office attempted to contact Miliband multiple times to discuss the proposed changes but was "ghosted".
A source from Miliband's office rejected the ghosting claims, saying the minister was able to eventually able to speak with Starmer and was not purposefully avoiding the conversation. The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) confirmed that the call was not deliberately ignored, and instead it came while Miliband was taking bereavement leave following the death of his mother.
The Prime Minister has been reportedly "furious" at the "betrayal" of Miliband after he suggested it is time for him to resign.
Miliband, who previously led the party while in opposition, is widely expected to back Manchester mayor Andy Burnham if a leadership contest is triggered.
According to The Times, who spoke to several senior Labour sources, the Prime Minister believes that Burnham cannot be allowed to mount a “coup” and that an uncontested challenge would be “profoundly anti-democratic”.
If a contest is triggered, which requires a challenger to have the backing of at least 81 MPs, Starmer would be automatically entered into the ballot.
Currently, former health secretary Wes Streeting and Manchester mayor Burnham are the two biggest names expected to enter the race, while former armed forces minister Carns has also said he intends to stand.
Several more cabinet ministers, including Miliband, are weighing up resigning from their posts after the crunch Makerfield by-election to place further pressure on Starmer, reports say.
An ally of Starmer told The Times: “Burnham seems to have forgotten that Keir is a key part of what comes next. If it’s a coronation, he would have the least mandate of any prime minister ever.
“It would be coup territory, it would profoundly undemocratic. We don’t really know what Burnham stands for or what he would do.
"Winning a by-election is very different to running the country. Win or lose, someone has to flush out his positions. Keir is becoming more entrenched.”
On Wednesday, Starmer warned his leadership rivals against triggering a contest, saying instead the party should focus on a mayoral by-election in Manchester if Burnham returns to Westminster.
He said any attempt to oust him would be a "bad thing" for the country and reiterated that he intended to fight any challenge.
He added that the potential mayoral election would be "very important" and that his party were "going to have to pull our sleeves up to make sure that there is another Labour victory," maintaining that he still hopes that Burnham wins the seat.
