Keir Starmer has been warned he only has 'months' to show he can stop Labour's collapse.

Former leader Lord Kinnock delivered a stark message about the lack of 'basic political skills' in No10 amid rising alarm about the damage from policy bungles and scandals.

Barely 15 months after sweeping to power, Sir Keir has seen his party's poll ratings slump at an unprecedented pace along with his own.

Meanwhile, Reform has surged in popularity with Nigel Farage boasting they are on track for government.

The looming Budget next month and then local elections in May are being seen as make-or-break moments for Sir Keir, even though there are still more than three years before a Westminster contest must be held. 

Appearing on BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour last night, Lord Kinnock said of Sir Keir: 'The reality is that he has got to act quickly in order to clearly establish a direction and purpose. 

'Now, I know he's got it. He's a man of high intelligence and deeply rooted principles. There's no doubt at all about that.

'But, what he's got to do is, if you like, demonstrate that he is authentically very Labour with a set of principles that are practical in their application, under determination to put them into full effect.'

Lord Kinnock said that the government had been making 'progressive' moves but they were 'unheard because they've been obscured by basic errors' such as the winter fuel allowance cut.

'Now that has got to be attended to by effective management by the Prime Minister,' he added. 

'There's nobody else to do it. What he's got to do in the coming months - and I mean months, not over years, is demonstrate that very clearly.'

Lord Kinnock also gave a damning assessment of Sir Keir's Downing Street operation.

'I don't know where the focus is of the people who work in No10, and I think that they've got to demonstrate sensitivity to the realities of politics,' he said.

'I've got reservations about the capability of some of the people who appear to be there. 

'I know some of them to be extremely able and effective, and they've demonstrated that historically but something is not connecting effectively with the Labour Party or with basic political skills and I hope it will very rapidly.'

Lord Kinnock has been among senior Labour figures pushing for a 'wealth tax' to fund more huge spending. 

Removing a Labour leader while the party is in government would require a massive mutiny by MPs, meaning the PM would likely need to resign to be replaced.