The Labour Party is demoralized and in "despair" just a year after taking power, the outlet has reported

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer could be ousted by next May if his Labour Party continues to perform poorly, Sky News has reported.

Labour lost ground to Reform UK in local elections in May, after the ruling party experienced a plunge in public support.

The prime minister could lose his position if Labour performs badly in the next vote across Wales, Scotland and London, Sky News reported on Thursday, citing two senior Labour MPs.

"I am hearing from ministers in government that Starmer might have to go in months," the outlet's deputy political editor Sam Coates said, describing "unhappiness and despair" in the Labour Party.

A day earlier, a controversial welfare bill proposed by the government passed in a watered-down form, after a number of Labour MPs rebelled against proposed cuts to social benefits.

This latest U-turn undermined the prime minister's authority after a series of similar flip-flops in June, the BBC wrote on Wednesday.

Last month, Starmer bowed to pressure and ordered a national inquiry into the police handling of the massive Pakistani grooming gangs sex abuse scandal. Just months before, his administration had insisted the prior seven-year investigation into decades of systematic rape of young, vulnerable girls in the UK had been sufficient.

Labour had been under mounting public pressure to backtrack on the issue, after the simmering scandal was thrust back into the spotlight early this year by tech mogul Elon Musk.

Starmer's public approval has taken a nose dive, with 73% of UK adults unsatisfied with his performance, the Independent wrote on Thursday, citing an Ipsos survey concluded in June. Less than a fifth of respondents were satisfied with his tenure, the poll suggests.

According to Ipsos, this is the lowest score ever recorded by the polling company for a prime minister's first year performance.