This morning, the political landscape resembles the starting line of a race that no one officially announced but everyone is already sprinting in. The jostling is on full display, from the Prime Minister's supporters to those eyeing his job.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves, ever the loyalist, told BBC Breakfast that a leadership contest would be 'plunging the country into chaos at a time when there is conflict in the world, but also at a time when our plan to grow the economy is starting to bear fruit.' Because nothing says 'we're winning' like pleading with your own party not to stab you in the front.

Meanwhile, friends and allies of Health Secretary Wes Streeting are expecting his challenge to Sir Keir Starmer to be imminent - though rivals are quick to brief that he's struggling to wrangle the necessary backers. It's almost like mounting a coup is hard work.

Angela Rayner, the former Deputy Prime Minister, has been doing interviews, insisting she's resolved the tax issue that cost her her job and is now ready to 'play my part' in the upcoming leadership debates. Translation: She's ready to play the game again.

Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, is currently marooned outside Parliament, unable to jump into any immediate leadership race unless he can find a seat, persuade the party to let him stand, and hope the contest timeline doesn't leave him in the dust. His weekly phone-in with Mike Sweeney on BBC Radio Manchester was cancelled this morning - rare indeed - with a spokesman saying he 'has to prioritise discussions arising from last week's local elections.' That's one way to describe the current state of the Labour Party.

And in the left-wing New Statesman, Defence Minister Al Carns - recent conqueror of Everest, now attempting an even steeper climb - pens a diagnosis of his party's ills: 'Working-class voters have not simply left Labour. Many feel Labour stopped understanding their lives and so they looked elsewhere.' Profound insights from a man who's literally climbed mountains.

The Prime Minister and his allies, meanwhile, continue to scrap, giving no indication of planning to give up. Sir Keir and his backers argue that a leadership contest would be irresponsible and would paralyse the government for months. Because what's more responsible than clinging to power while your party circles like vultures?