Sir Keir Starmer should be toppled as Prime Minister because of the damage his Government has caused to the economy, a key ally of Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has said.

Sacha Lord, who spent seven years as an adviser to Mr Burnham, declares in an article for The Mail on Sunday that it is 'time to give someone else a go' in No 10.

Mr Lord, chairman of the Night Time Industries Association, attacks the 'catastrophic' increase in National Insurance introduced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, which – in conjunction with increases to the minimum wage and business rates – has hammered the hospitality industry. Describing the impact as worse than Covid, Mr Lord writes: 'With the profit on a pint now at only 12p, the writing is on the wall for many.

'We will lose more pubs now than we did during the pandemic... Reeves has been the worst Chancellor on record for my sector.'

He adds: 'Local elections are next month. It's time to give someone else a go. I've met the PM and he's a nice guy who I think genuinely means well. We don't need 'nice' though, we need someone who will work and support us to drag this sector back to how it was: world leading.'

The remarks by Mr Lord, who advised the so–called 'King of the North' on Manchester's night time economy, come as the mayor is trying to plot his way to winning a Commons seat, in order to mount a leadership bid against Sir Keir if Labour is routed as badly as expected in next month's council elections.

His main rival in any contest is likely to be ex–Deputy PM Angela Rayner, who is understood to have stepped up her preparations during Parliament's Easter recess by approaching allies in northern Labour constituency parties to ask for their help with her campaign.

Allies of Ms Rayner said that she will take a prominent role in Labour's local election campaign to showcase her qualities as a 'political street fighter', and boost her profile ahead of a potential challenge. 

It was also reported by the Daily Mail that she has cut down on her boozing to craft 'a more stateswoman–like persona'.

Labour's deputy leader Lucy Powell warned MPs against engaging in a 'messy, bloody internal contest' after the local elections on May 7, where the party is forecast to lose up to 1,900 of the 2,560 seats it is defending.

Mr Burnham tried to stand as Labour's candidate in the Gorton and Denton by–election earlier this year, but was blocked by the party's National Executive Committee. 

His allies believe, however, that Labour's loss in that by–election has strengthened Mr Burnham's hand for the next opportunity – with three seats, in which the sitting Labour MPs are considering standing down, understood to be under consideration.

A spokesman for Ms Rayner said that it was 'nonsense' to say that she had been approaching allies to help with her campaign.

We need a PM who will get hospitality sector thriving again  

By Sacha Lord, Night Time Industries Association Chairman

On June 13, 2024, I was standing in a packed room in Manchester. 

The excitement was incredible. The entire Shadow Cabinet was on display and the UK's press were in the room to hear the Labour manifesto launch. 

As Rachel Reeves announced that she would be the Chancellor of business and growth, it felt like a significant moment for hospitality.

I was hopeful – so much so that I donated to the party to get her and Starmer into Downing Street.

That's something I now bitterly regret because from the moment Reeves walked through the doors of No 11, it became clear she was far from business and growth.

With the National Insurance increase she brought in, operators were forced to shave hours off their weekly rotas. The result has been catastrophic – since Reeves became Chancellor, we've shed 120,000 jobs.

The industry is suffering worse than during Covid.

From April 1, we suffered the double blow of an increased minimum wage and increased business rates. With the profit on a pint now at only 12p, the writing is on the wall for many. 

We will lose more pubs now than during the pandemic. In my lifetime, Reeves has been the worst Chancellor on record for my sector.

Local elections are next month. It's time to give someone else a go.

I've met the PM and he's a nice guy who I think genuinely means well. We don't need 'nice' though, we need someone who will work and support us to drag this sector back to how it was: world leading.