ANXIOUS Labour MPs are warning that Sir Keir Starmer’s lurch towards alignment with the European Union could jeopardise the party’s revival in “red wall” constituencies.

One MP representing a northern seat that voted heavily for Brexit, speaking privately because of Sir Keir’s clampdown on dissent, said that voters were asking him: “What’s Starmer up to?”

Any suggestion that Labour is looking to backpedal on Brexit could lead to electoral defeats, he warned.

The Labour leader has ruled out trying to rejoin the EU or its single market, despite having zealously championed the Remain cause in the last parliament to undermine the leadership of his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn.

Sir Keir has, however, recently emphasised that in government he would try to keep Britain in step with EU economic and social regulations.

“Forty per cent of Brexit voters are still backing the Tories and 17 per cent say they will vote for the Reform party,” the MP said, referencing the successor organisation to Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party.

“Sunak is out to squeeze the Reform vote back into the Tory camp through his climate change U-turns and anti-migrant rhetoric. 

“Pro-EU rhetoric plays into his hands. If that 17 per cent switch back to the Tories, we could lose seats or fail to win back those that went Tory in 2019.”

In another challenge to Sir Keir, Labour’s own disability affiliate slammed planned rule changes downgrading the role of equality, including disability, officers in local parties. 

Disability Labour said that it was “appalled” and accused the Starmer leadership of enabling “even deeper marginalisation” of members.