Lucy Fisher

Well, look, I think that is a big question.

What happens to reform after today if they lose?

Because it will also be the third by-election in a row that they have lost, which is out of whack with the national polling, where they are at least 10 points clear of the next party in the average of the polls.

So whether Nigel Farage looks to sort of tack rightward towards Rupert Lowe's Restore,

remains to be seen.

We know that in the past week, Farage has called for an overhaul of reform social media policy.

They clearly think that Rupert Lowe's party is better at landing its message online and they need to up their game given that's where so many people are getting their information from.

Well, it does.

And, you know, in many ways, it's extraordinary that things have unravelled for Starmer quite so quickly.

It's less than two years since he won that famous majority in the House of Commons.

And now his own parliamentary party, you know, many of them have gone over the parapet, about a quarter of them calling for him to go or at least to set out a timetable for his transition.

And, you know, we're all braced to see if there could be more resignations, even from the cabinet over the weekend or in

in the coming weeks in order to try and force Starmer out.

Because that's a key aim of many of Burnham's allies.

They don't want there to be a bloody contest that could risk tearing the party apart.

They are hoping for a smooth transition, a coronation, and therefore are hoping to force Starmer, who at the moment is insisting he is defiant, that he would fight onto the back foot.

Well, I think that's right and therefore unsurprising in a sense to see the briefing coming from Team Burnham that he wouldn't accept such an offer.

He's made clear he's there for one reason and one reason alone, which is to try and seize the keys to Downing Street.

So we are expecting there to be movement within coming days.

Burnham's allies say not to expect anything within the first 72 hours.