Labour is currently embodied in a leadership crisis with ministers resigning and nearly 100 MPs calling on the Prime Minister to step aside.

But Mr Kruger warned that this split was bringing the country down, because of "poor leadership" and called instead on a focus in Whitehall to be set on reducing welfare and increasing the defence budget.

Speaking on a panel of MPs and politicians on BBC Question Time he said that Labour could not make the required changes to get the country back on track, because backbench MPs would not let them.

He called for a general election "as soon as possible" to break the deadlock in parliament.

Calls for a change at the top have only grown after Wes Streeting resigned as health secretary earlier on today and called for a change in leadership.

Following that the Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham, announced his intentions to try and make a return to parliament after a Labour MP stopped aside to force a by-election.

Labour MP Jenny Chapman said that voters were being treated as "pawns in your imaginary political chess game", as she said nothing would have made her stand down from her seat.

Whilst she said she would be campaigning for Mr Burnham, her condemnation of how the electors are being treated will no doubt send ripples throughout the Labour Party.

Sir Keir will not block Mr Burnham from standing in the election, but he must now win over local members and then voters in the Makerfield seat now.

In the most recent set of local elections Reform UK won every single council seat in the area, and Nigel Farage vowed to throw the kitchen sink at the seat.