Keir Starmer showed 'inner pain' and looked like a 'boy being being taken off for his first day at school' as he clutched his wife's hand on his way to the King's Speech, according to a body language expert.

The beleaguered Prime Minister did not to respond to questions from journalists as he entered a car alongside his wife Victoria and grasped tightly onto her as they marched out of No10 on Wednesday morning.

Sir Keir's exit came after holding brief talks with Wes Streeting inside Downing Street earlier this morning. 

The Health Secretary appeared grim-faced as he emerged from No10 just 15 minutes after walking through the front door.   

The PM left shortly after and 'failed' to signal 'resilience' as he only managed 'a very brittle and performative-looking thin smile', said Judi James.

The body language expert told the Daily Mail: 'Starmer's exit from being holed up in No10 saw him clutching his wife's hand in the tightest of clasps, with the over-long sleeves of his jacket hiding his fist, making him look like a new boy being taken off for his first day at school.

'If Starmer intended to signal stoic resilience via his body language, he failed. Stepping into the rain his eyes scanned the cameras with an expression of wariness while his mouth only managed a very brittle and performative-looking thin smile that had none of the requisite angles or movements of genuine happiness, confidence or pleasure.

'Starmer pushed his clasping hand backward slightly to tow his wife along like a celebrity, and she responded accordingly by smiling at the ground. As they walked up to the car Starmer seemed to want to signal he was in control by placing a very firm hand onto his wife's back in a steering gesture. 

'As he dipped his head to get into the car his attempt at styling it all off seemed to stop though and his brow became furrowed, with a micro-expression of what looked like inner pain.'

Sir Keir is facing mass rebellion from within the Labour Party but has vowed to continue fighting despite his widespread unpopularity. 

The PM challenged his critics to oust him yesterday and refused to resign as a growing contingent of ministers and MPs call for his head.   

He had a 'blink and you miss it' showdown with Mr Streeting today, which his allies dismissed as a 'quick cup of coffee', jibing that Mr Streeting does not have the numbers or the 'nerve' to challenge.

The party's union paymasters waded into the row this morning, releasing a joint statement calling for a more Left-wing agenda.

'It's clear that the Prime Minister will not lead Labour into the next election, and at some stage a plan will have to be put in place for the election of a new leader,' the affiliated unions said.

The monarch will conduct the State Opening of Parliamen amid scenes of traditional pomp and ceremony.

But while the King will read out a list of legislation, including proposals to cosy up to the EU and boost the Net Zero drive, there is 'outrage' that he has been dragged into a shambolic Labour civil war.

Ominously for Sir Keir, the next batch of Mandelson documents is due to be released as early as next week.

Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and Angela Rayner are both circling as the question of who will succeed Sir Keir dominates MPs' discussions.

High drama at Westminster yesterday saw four Labour ministers resign, saying they no longer had confidence in the premier.

The number of Labour MPs calling for him to go rose to 90, and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was forced to deny she is on the brink of quitting after telling the PM to set out a timetable for his departure.

The unions, including Unite, Unison and the GMB, said they recognised that progress has been made by the Government, such as aspects of the Employment Rights Act and the increase in the minimum wage.

But they said the results of last week's elections were 'devastating'.

The statement said: 'Labour is not doing enough to deliver the change that working people voted for at the general election. Our focus is on the fundamental change of direction on economic policy and political strategy that unions have been clear is needed, and not on the personalities and unfolding political drama in Westminster.

'It's clear that the Prime Minister will not lead Labour into the next election, and at some stage a plan will have to be put in place for the election of a new Leader.

'This is a point where the future of the Party we founded will be debated and determined and we are working closely as unions to shape a shared vision on policy, political strategy and economic policy that will re-orient Labour back to working people, so Labour do what it was elected to do – govern in the interests of workers.'

A bizarre Cabinet meeting yesterday saw Sir Keir try to brush away the insurrection against him.

He kicked off the session by vowing to fight on, insisting he would only discuss the leadership issue with ministers one-on-one. However, sources said he then refused to meet Mr Streeting individually.

The Health Secretary has indicated he will not make any further moves before the King's Speech, to avoid embarrassing the monarch.

Touring broadcast studios this morning, loyalist minister Nick Thomas-Symonds admitted the PM had been experiencing 'turbulence'.

But he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Anyone would think we were talking about the final scene at a Casino Royale or something, looking at some of the coverage that we've had.'

He earlier told BBC Breakfast: 'There is no contest for the leadership of the Labour Party.

'There's a very clear way to do that under our rules of 81 people nominating an alternative candidate. That hasn't happened.

'The contest hasn't been triggered. We are moving on. I'm not saying yesterday wasn't turbulent. It evidently was, but we are moving, getting on with delivery.'

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy tried to cool the situation last night be appealing for Labour MPs to step back from the brink – warning that the party's 'navel gazing' was damaging the country.

The prospect of a Labour leadership coup sparked panic on financial markets yesterday as traders took fright at the thought of a new leader dragging the Government further Left.