A former Labour adviser has declared that Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner will take over from Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister within the next twelve months.
Matthew Torbitt made the bold prediction during a GB News appearance, launching a scathing attack on the current Prime Minister. "He's awful," Torbitt stated. "He's less popular than anyone you can think of."
"I think Angela Rayner will be Prime Minister next year, I'm fairly certain of that," the ex-adviser said. "Keir Starmer will go."
According to Torbitt, public sentiment towards Starmer falls into two distinct categories. "People are either a bit ambivalent towards him and they don't know what he stands for, or they go, 'I can't stand him'," he explained.
GB NEWS / PA
|Torbitt delivered a scathing assessment of Keir Starmer
The adviser characterised Starmer's appeal as lacking any middle ground. "There's no real love or meet in the middle with him. It's very bland."
Torbitt painted a grim picture of Labour's electoral future under Starmer's leadership. "I think we'll lose Wales and Scotland next year," he warned during the broadcast.
The former adviser suggested party members need to face reality about their leader's prospects. "You've got to look at the writing on the wall and go, 'yeah, we're not going to win with you in charge'."
His comments come as Sir Keir Starmer faces historically low approval ratings mere months after taking office in July 2024.
GBNEWS
|Torbitt tipped Andy Burnham to succeed the PM
According to recent analysis, the Prime Minister has recorded the worst approval figures of any Prime Minister since records began.
With expectations that these ratings will decline further, speculation about Starmer's future has intensified within Labour circles, with many believing he is harming the party's chances at the next election.
Torbitt revealed a personal connection to the Deputy Prime Minister, sharing that he and Rayner grew up on the same housing estate. "I've known Angela for many years," he disclosed during the interview.
Despite his prediction, the former adviser suggested Rayner might be a reluctant successor. "I don't think she wants it," Torbitt said, adding that trade unions and other influential figures would likely push her towards the role.
GB NEWS
|Torbitt expects Angela Rayner to become Prime Minister
The Deputy Prime Minister has built her political career on her working-class roots, having left school at sixteen without qualifications after becoming a teenage mother.
She worked in care homes before rising through trade union ranks to enter Parliament in 2015.
Her straightforward approach has earned her substantial support among Labour's grassroots membership, with polling suggesting she has a 40 per cent chance of succeeding Starmer.
Torbitt identified Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as Labour's potential salvation. "The only one who could really save Labour is Andy Burnham because he's not tied to any of the unpopular decisions that we've made that weren't in the manifesto," he argued.
The former adviser praised Burnham's broad appeal. "He's popular across all the spectrums."
However, GB News presenter Anne Diamond challenged this assessment, noting: "He's a Blairite though and that won't go down very well with the rest of the party."
Co-host Stephen Dixon suggested Rayner might pose a greater challenge to Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch. "Angela Rayner would be more of a threat to Kemi Badenoch too, wouldn't she?" he observed. "Whether you agree with her or whatever, she's a character that makes Kemi Badenoch look very bland, whatever your politics."