Labour MPs are calling for a close to the “endless drama” of leadership speculation, as Downing Street begins a fightback against predictions of an imminent challenge to Keir Starmer.

Some backbenchers warned that repeated briefings about how and when the prime minister could be toppled were putting off voters, who similarly had disliked the Conservatives’ repeated shuffling of leaders when in power.

“All people want is a government which works, and not the endless drama,” one MP said. “We are in a very tricky global situation, and to have this never-ending conversation about who might have a certain number of supporters feels extremely self-indulgent.”

Such worries are shared even among some Labour MPs who strongly believe that Starmer should be replaced. “You can both think the PM isn’t the right man to lead us into the next election and that now isn’t the right time to replace him,” one said.

Labour is expected to fare very badly in Thursday’s elections to the Scottish and Welsh parliaments and councils across England, with losses well above 1,000 council seats seen as potentially triggering a challenge.

Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, has been widely linked with a planned return to Westminster, but faces a series of logistical hurdles, while the other two obvious candidates, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting, are seen as not yet about to act.

Within the vacuum of what one MP called “a Mexican standoff”, allies of various camps have been briefing journalists, something which MPs not involved in the plotting say has become an intense annoyance.

“Most sensible MPs are out on the doorsteps, and aren’t worrying about all this,” another backbencher said.

“It’s all focused on personalities and not policy. We’re getting a lot of the ‘who’, but none of the ‘what, why and how’, which is what matters. The same thing with slightly better comms is not going to cut it.”

Some allies of Starmer worry the open plotting could make the results even worse, pointing out that in the run-up to the local elections, the group that represents Labour councillors told ministers that they needed unity to prosper.

“It’s less than a week from the elections, and we have briefings every day from some would-be candidate or another,” one said. “Nothing makes a party look more out of touch than this level of self-indulgence when people are really worried about the cost of living.”

There is, nonetheless, a definite sense among many MPs that Thursday’s elections could become a trigger, with one saying the expected losses would take things into “uncharted waters”.

“People have agreed it’s not working right now, but there isn’t an agreement on what is needed to make it work,” another MP said.

“Those that believe this is just midterm pains have factored in us losing 1,000 councillors. If we lose more, they may start thinking this isn’t normal – and I dare say they are right.”

Others, however, believe that, given the huge economic uncertainty of the Iran war, nothing should happen for at least several months. Some MPs have started to push for assurances that Rachel Reeves will be kept as chancellor whatever happens, to avoid spooking the financial markets.

Writing in the Observer, Starmer hinted at such worries, saying that during an earlier global crisis, with Covid, the then-Conservative government “descended into political infighting”.

Anna Turley, the Labour chair, was more explicit, telling the Sunday Mirror that Labour MPs should “be resilient” and stick with Starmer, adding: “Let’s not get distracted. Let’s not keep looking at ourselves.”

Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, echoed this argument.

“Asking the prime minister to somehow reapply for his job when all of that is going on and he is entirely focused on the concerns of the British people would be the wrong thing to do,” she said.

“Those people who think that we should have a leadership election now and repeat the mistakes that the Conservative government made in churning through prime ministers probably do need to give their head a gentle wobble.”

Thousands of patients across England each year will benefit from a new immunotherapy treatment that can be used for several types of cancer, the NHS has announced.

The injectable form of pembrolizumab, which can be administered in under two minutes, kills cancer cells by blocking a protein called PD-1, which acts as a brake on immune responses, allowing the immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells.

This new form of immunotherapy will replace pembrolizumab, which is administered via an intravenous drip in a specialist clean room. Preparing and administering it can be time-consuming and expensive for NHS staff to maintain, taking about two hours per session for patient.

Most of the 14,000 patients already taking pembrolizumab are expected to benefit from the new injectable version.

It is estimated the treatment, which will be given every three weeks as a one-minute injection or every six weeks as a two-minute injection, will save the NHS more than 100,000 hours of preparation and treatment time each year.

Up to 15,000 cancer patients became eligible last year for nivolumab, an immunotherapy injection that takes three to five minutes to administer. With the addition of this treatment, there are now two immunotherapies available for almost 30 types of cancer on the NHS.

Prof Peter Johnson, the NHS national clinical director for cancer, said: “This immunotherapy offers a lifeline for thousands of patients and it’s fantastic that this new rapid jab can now take just a minute to deliver – meaning patients can get back to living their lives rather than spending hours in a hospital chair.

“Managing cancer treatment and regular hospital trips can be really exhausting, and not only will this innovation make therapy much quicker and more convenient for patients, it will help free up vital appointments for NHS teams to treat more people and continue to bring down waiting times.”

Shirley Xerxes, an 89-year-old from St Albans, was one of the first patients to receive this new treatment on the NHS. “I can’t believe how little time it took,” she said. “I was only in the chair for a matter of minutes instead of an hour or more. It’s made such a difference and gives me more time to live my life, including spending more time gardening.”

University hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS foundation trust will be one of the first in England to provide the treatment, alongside the East and North Hertfordshire teaching NHS trust.

James Richardson, the national specialty adviser for cancer drugs at NHS England, said: “This is a win-win innovation, because patients will spend far less time in hospital and, crucially, our clinical teams will have more capacity to care for others.

“The time saved through this change is a huge gain for the NHS, and demonstrates how we are continuing to modernise cancer care for the benefit of patients.”

The EU is sending a team of experts specialised in combating Russian propaganda and interference to Armenia, as it increases its support to the former Soviet republic in a tense political period.

In a highly symbolic sequence of events, EU leaders will hold their first summit with Armenia on Tuesday, after a pan-European gathering of about 45 leaders at the European Political Community summit in Yerevan.

The EU has been deepening links with Armenia as Russian influence has waned since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine that is seen as having diverted Moscow’s attention other countries it regards as its “near abroad”.

On Tuesday, Armenia’s prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, and the EU leaders, Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa, are expected to formally welcome the concept of an EU mission to counter foreign interference in Armenia at the summit in Yerevan, where they will also discuss energy, transport and economic support.

The EU is setting up a team of 20-30 civilian experts for a two-year mission based in Armenia aimed at improving the response to Russian cyber-attacks, information manipulation and interference, as well as countering illicit financial flows. The mission, which could be increased in headcount and duration, is expected to start work after parliamentary elections on 7 June.

Separately, the EU’s foreign service has announced “a hybrid rapid-response team” with the short-term goal of battling foreign interference before those elections, which are seen as pivotal in determining whether Armenia stays on a broadly pro-western path.

The EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said last month: “Armenians are facing massive disinformation campaigns and cyber-attacks. When Armenians go to the polls in June, they alone should choose their country’s future.”

A senior EU official described the EU-Armenia summit as a “critical milestone in our relationship” and “a symbol of Armenia, gradually, slowly, geographically reorienting towards the west”. The EU is attempting to improve transport links and the green transition in Armenia and has embarked on talks that could eventually allow Armenians visa-free travel to the bloc for short stays.

Armenia was long Russia’s staunchest ally in the Caucasus, but disillusionment set in after Moscow failed to send military aid during the 2020 and 2023 Nagorno-Karabakh wars. Armenia’s 2018 velvet revolution, which emphasised democracy and the rule of law, also set the former Soviet republic on a different path to Russia, which slid deeper into authoritarianism.

Even before signing a peace agreement with Azerbaijan, Armenia had been seeking to move closer to the EU. Speaking to the European parliament in March, Pashinyan signalled an intention to adopt EU standards, while Armenia’s parliament passed a law last year declaring its intention to apply for EU membership.

But Armenia is under heavy pressure from Russia, still a significant trading and security partner, which has a base in the city of Gyumri. Moscow has imposed restrictions on the sale of imported Armenian mineral water and cognac, which recalls similar attempts to use economic leverage over its neighbours. Vladimir Putin has also warned Pashinyan that cheap Russian gas supplies are at stake if Armenia pursues deeper integration with Europe.

MEPs last week urged the EU to go beyond the symbolism of events in Armenia. In a non-binding resolution, the European parliament called for a robust international election observation mission, cybersecurity for electoral infrastructure and strong safeguards against vote buying.

The French centrist MEP Nathalie Loiseau, who was involved in drafting the text, said: “Faced with all those seeking to pressure Armenian voters, the country is looking to the European Union to help it hold free and fair elections.”