Sir Keir Starmer has been plunged into a leadership crisis after a botched pre-emptive strike by his own allies against potential rebels spectacularly backfired, unleashing a civil war within the Labour Party.
Chaos Erupts Over 'Toxic' No10 Briefings
The Prime Minister was forced to publicly condemn what he called "unacceptable" attacks against his Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, during a fiery Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday. This intervention came after an operation by Number 10 aides, designed to ward off threats to Starmer's leadership ahead of the Budget, misfired badly.
The strategy appeared to single out Mr Streeting, prompting a furious backlash. The Health Secretary launched a blistering counter-attack, lashing out at the "toxic culture" within Downing Street and demanding that those responsible for the briefings be sacked.
Streeting Fights Back Against 'Self-Defeating' Rumours
In a pre-planned media round, Wes Streeting furiously denied claims he was plotting to overthrow the Prime Minister. He dismissed the rumours as "self-defeating" and suggested they were being spread by people who had been "watching too much Celebrity Traitors."
"This is just about the worst attack on a faithful I've seen since Joe Marler was kicked out and banished in the final," Mr Streeting said. "It's a totally self-defeating briefing, not least because it's not true and I don't understand how anyone thinks it's helpful to the Prime Minister either."
He directly criticised the culture in Number 10, stating: "I do think that going out and calling your Labour MPs feral is not very helpful. I do think that trying to kneecap one of your own team... I think that is also self-defeating and self-destructive behaviour."
MPs React with Fury and ridicule
The debacle sparked anger and disbelief among Labour MPs, with one backbencher telling the Mirror, "Honestly the PM employs children." The MP questioned the competence of the operation, adding: "None of this is good when we promised calm, stability, the grown ups being back in charge. How can he be so sure footed internationally and so inept with his own MPs?"
Another MP delivered a stinging rebuke, comparing the Prime Minister's aides to characters from the political satire The Thick of It, saying: "They think they are all from the West Wing but they are actually from the Thick of It."
However, not all reactions were critical. Jo White, chair of the Labour MP Red Wall group, urged unity, telling rebellious MPs: "Our enemies love nothing more than when we start fighting like dogs in public... This is a group of people who think they’re much cleverer than the rest of us, who spend their time selectively briefing journalists and stirring the pot. I want to simply say: We’re not having it."
The row exposes deep unease among MPs as Sir Keir Starmer struggles to improve Labour's poll ratings against a surging Reform UK, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves' crucial make-or-break Budget, expected to include significant tax hikes, just two weeks away.
