Sir Keir Starmer is planning to purge Jeremy Corbyn’s allies in the shadow cabinet and party headquarters within weeks of becoming Labour leader, according to “scorched earth” plans that lay bare his desire to break definitively with the factionalism of the party under his predecessor.

Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, is expected to be crowned leader on Saturday in a result deemed so damaging to some on the left that last week members of Corbyn’s office briefly discussed whether to extend his leadership by invoking the chaos caused by the the coronavirus.

In one of his first acts, Starmer is set to request the departure of Karie Murphy, Corbyn’s chief of staff, and Jennie Formby, the party’s general secretary, citing their alleged mishandling of bullying