PMQs Overshadowed by Leadership Speculation
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is preparing for a tense session of Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, 12 November 2025, as his government faces mounting pressure from internal party rumours and a separate scandal concerning the wrongful release of prisoners.
The weekly parliamentary showdown with Kemi Badenoch comes against a backdrop of significant internal Labour Party unrest. Senior aides circulated anonymous briefings on Tuesday, 11 November, suggesting a plot to oust the prime minister from Downing Street.
Denials and Discontent
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has been forced to publicly deny what he labelled "categorically untrue" reports. It had been alleged that he had a group of approximately 50 Labour frontbenchers prepared to abandon the government if the upcoming Budget is poorly received.
In a strongly-worded rebuttal to broadcasters, Mr Streeting condemned the anonymous sources, accusing them of “self-defeating and self-destructive behaviour.” He demanded that those responsible for the briefings be fired and suggested they had been “watching too much Celebrity Traitors.”
Alongside Mr Streeting, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has also been named as a potential leadership contender. One aide claimed that as many as “four leadership campaigns” are already active within the party, signalling deep internal divisions.
Prisoner Release Scandal Adds to Pressure
Beyond the leadership rumours, Sir Keir is also expected to face intense questioning on a separate and serious matter. On Tuesday, David Lammy informed the House of Commons that 91 prisoners had been wrongly released over the past seven months.
Alarmingly, three of these individuals remain at large. The confirmed cases include two prisoners released in August and December of last year, and a third who was freed in June of this year. It has been disclosed that one of the fugitives is a foreign national.
This combination of internal party strife and a significant Home Office failure presents a major challenge for the Prime Minister, who must now assert his authority both within his party and before the nation at PMQs.
