Prime Minister Keir Starmer is fighting to contain a damaging internal Labour Party crisis today, as he scrambled to publicly back his chief of staff following a brutal briefing campaign against his own Cabinet ministers.
Cabinet Fury Over Alleged Leadership Plot
The political storm erupted after what appeared to be a pre-emptive strike from within Number 10 targeting Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who has been subject to leadership manoeuvring rumours. Sir Keir voiced "confidence" in his senior team after receiving what he described as "assurances" that none were involved in the extraordinary attacks.
Despite the Prime Minister's attempts to draw a line under the controversy, the situation escalated dramatically when Mr Streeting delivered a furious response yesterday, accusing Number 10 of "self-destruction" and demanding the premier fire those responsible.
McSweeney's Position Under Scrutiny
Fingers have been pointed directly at powerful chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, the architect of Labour's election campaign. However, party insiders fear the relationship between Sir Keir and Mr McSweeney is so deeply intertwined that the Prime Minister would struggle to survive his departure.
The Prime Minister's spokesman told journalists this morning that Sir Keir had spoken to his top aides, reiterating that briefing against ministers was "unacceptable." The spokesman stated: "He's been assured that no Number 10 staff briefed against ministers and made abundantly clear the high standards that he expects from staff," adding that the premier believed these assurances.
During a particularly brutal Prime Minister's Questions session, Sir Keir denied he had "authorised" any criticism against his own ministers, declaring: "Any attack on any member of my Cabinet is completely unacceptable." When directly asked by Kemi Badenoch if he had confidence in Mr McSweeney, Sir Keir avoided answering, instead stating that everyone in government was "absolutely focused on delivering for the country."
Investigation Promised as Tensions Simmer
Sir Keir apologised to Mr Streeting when they spoke last night for the first time since the crisis erupted. Ministers have insisted the PM will hold an investigation into the apparent pre-emptive strike and fire whoever was responsible.
Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley confirmed that Sir Keir would conduct an investigation, telling ITV: "He is going to investigate and we'll see what happens as a consequence of that. He was not aware of this briefing... He's going to take action to make sure it doesn't happen again."
Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband was deployed to television studios this morning to manage the fallout. He told Sky News: "I've talked to Keir before about this kind of briefing that happens. As he always says, if he finds the person, he'll get rid of them, and I absolutely believe he would do that." When pressed if Sir Keir would sack the person responsible, Mr Miliband responded: "Sure, yeah."
Mr Streeting himself declined to revisit what he called "yesterday's news" during a visit to the Paddington Community Diagnostic Centre in Liverpool. When asked whether the PM was investigating the source of the attacks, he responded: "No idea. Don't care."
Even admirers admit Mr McSweeney could be on "borrowed time," with one Labour veteran warning that "Keir will follow" if his long-time ally has to go. The assault from Number 10 was seemingly timed to coincide with Mr Streeting touring broadcast studios yesterday morning for a significant NHS announcement.
Tom Baldwin, Sir Keir's biographer and close ally, insisted the Prime Minister is "going nowhere" but suggested Mr McSweeney needed to focus on his main role instead of briefing journalists. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "He is very, very important to Keir Starmer and I suspect he will stay... I think he should stick to doing the job he's been given, which was chief of staff."
The Conservatives have seized on the turmoil, accusing Sir Keir of "machine-gunning" his own ministers instead of "fixing the country." The crisis comes as Labour faces historic poll lows, with leadership rumours sweeping Westminster and friends of Sir Keir concerned he could be challenged if the upcoming Budget - expected to include significant tax hikes - proves unpopular with the public.
