[Holly Christmas]

Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the decision to remove Angela Rayner as Labour’s chairman and campaigns chief was a “cowardly avoidance of responsibility”.

The senior party figure tweeted: “Keir Starmer said yesterday that he took full responsibility for the election result in Hartlepool and other losses.

“Instead today he’s scapegoating everyone apart from himself.

“This isn’t leadership, it’s a cowardly avoidance of responsibility.”