The Government descended into civil war tonight as Health Secretary Wes Streeting was forced to deny plotting a coup against Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Speculation about Starmer's future exploded after Downing Street mounted an extraordinary bid to shore up his leadership, with allies warning it would be irresponsible to displace him and making clear he would fight any challenge.
Critics accused No10 of going into 'complete bunker mode,' with one Government source telling the Mirror: 'There are people around Keir – from when we were in opposition to No10 – going rogue and doing extremely damaging briefings. They did it with Bridget [Phillipson], Lisa [Nandy], Angela [Rayner], now it's Wes.' A Labour MP added: 'Pretty stupid because they've fired their own starting pistol and shot themselves in the face.'
Mr Streeting was among Cabinet Ministers named as possible plotters amid fears in No10 that Starmer could face a challenge after the Budget on November 26. The Health Secretary's spokesman issued an extraordinary denial, saying the claims were 'categorically untrue' and that Streeting's focus was on cutting waiting lists and rebuilding the NHS.
Some briefings against Streeting were blamed on No10, but a Downing Street insider described him as a brilliant Health Secretary and brushed off the rumours as speculation. The row comes amid jitters from MPs as Starmer battles to turn around Labour's poll ratings ahead of a make-or-break Budget, where Chancellor Rachel Reeves is weighing up breaking Labour's commitment to protect working people from tax hikes.
