JEREMY Corbyn's shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary is to quit her post after May's local government elections.

It has emerged that Teresa Pearce will step down to focus on her constituency - as new analysis shows Labour are on course to lose 50 vital council seats.

3 Teresa Pearce will be stepping down from her shadow cabinet role Credit: Getty Images

She took over from colleague Grahame Morris, who was recovering from an illness.

She told The Mirror: “I have been in an acting role for Grahame as he was ill.

“It is now clear he is not coming back to the role for some time and it needs to be a permanent position especially as we have elections next month."

It is thought she will be replaced by Roberta Blackman-Woods, the MP for the City of Durham.

3 Jeremy Corbyn on the campaign trail in Middlesborough Credit: Getty Images

"Roberta is ideally placed and I give her my full support," Ms Pearce said.

Mr Corbyn will have to conduct yet another reshuffle of his Shadow Cabinet if he wants to fill the role.

The news comes just weeks before he will be fighting local elections, where Labour are predicted to lose up to 50 seats.

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New research from Plymouth University's election centre predicted that the Tories would gain 50 seats, the Lib Dems 100, and Ukip lose 100.

The elections on 4 May swill see 2,730 seats up for grabs in 27 county councils, six unitary authorities and one metropolitan borough.

And reports in the Sunday Telegraph say the party are also gearing up for a general election - putting aside £4million in a war chest to fight a fresh vote if one is called before 2020.

Labour's Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth said this morning the party had to be gaining seats in May.

He told Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday: "We have got to win elections in these various county council elections coming up, in the mayoral elections and so on and we’ve got to show we are winning the trust of the British people. That is our big challenge and I’m not going to give up on that."

3 Labour's Shadow Health Secretary said the polls were 'depressing' Credit: Getty Images

The party are currently suffering near-record lows in the polls, with an 18-point lead for the Tories this week.

Mr Ashworth said the current numbers were "depressing" but hoped the party would perform better than expected.

He said later on BBC's Sunday Politics he wanted Labour to win in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Lancashire - marginal constituencies the party has to grow support in.

"We have to be winning seats. We cannot be falling back on the scales that have just been suggested," he said.