Labour frontbencher Lisa Nandy has dismissed as “absolute nonsense” claims that Sir Keir Starmer is making plans for who will succeed him as party leader in the event that he is forced to resign.

The shadow levelling up secretary, who ran for the leadership in 2020, said she had held “no conversations about succession” with the Labour leader, as it was reported that he had met with members of the shadow cabinet to discuss the plans.

Sir Keir has repeatedly insisted that no lockdown rules were broken when he had beer and a curry with staff after a day of campaigning in the run-up to the 2021 local elections, and is currently awaiting the outcome of a Durham Police inquiry into the incident.