Laid off from my first job after 6 months during probation review, need help moving forward

I'm still processing being let go last week from my management consulting role during my probation review, and I'd really appreciate some perspective.

For context, I'm an international student who recently completed a master's at a top UK university. This was my first graduate role at a well-known London boutique consultancy (roughly T2). My original September start date was delayed until January because of a slow pipeline.

For my first 4.5 months, things went well. I was only staffed on one four-week project due to limited client work, but I consistently received positive feedback. My manager reassured me that low utilisation wasn't an issue since many junior consultants were in the same position. I also supported business development while on the bench and received positive feedback there too.

Things changed on my second project. About halfway through, my project manager told me my work wasn't meeting expectations, mainly due to QA issues, slide quality, and attention to detail. It was a surprise given my earlier feedback, but I accepted it and worked to improve. We had weekly check-ins, and by the end of the project my manager acknowledged that I had made clear progress and gave me advice for continued development.

However, the formal written feedback I received the day before my probation review was far harsher than I expected. While it mentioned my improvement, it concluded that I had failed to meet most expectations for my grade. This manager is also known internally for being particularly demanding.

The following day, I was called into a meeting with HR and the head of the division and was let go. They said they weren't confident I was developing quickly enough, despite my earlier positive feedback. When I pointed out that I'd only had around three weeks to address these concerns—and had spent relatively little time on client work due to the slow pipeline—they dismissed the point. As far as I know, I'm the only member of my graduate cohort who was let go (aside from two who voluntarily left).

I'm struggling to work out how much this reflects my own performance versus a combination of a slow pipeline, limited opportunities to develop, and one particularly strict manager.

I'd really appreciate advice on a few things:

• Should I keep this role on my CV or leave it as a gap?
• If I keep it, what's the best way to explain it in interviews?
• Should I leave it as my current role on LinkedIn until I find something else?
• With the UK graduate market being fairly slow over the next few months, what would you recommend I do to strengthen my profile?
• Should I continue pursuing management consulting, or would it make sense to pivot into finance (e.g. corporate finance, FP&A, or potentially AM/HF roles as I have some internship experience there)? Has anyone made a similar transition after consulting?

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read this.