Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has criticised Cabinet colleagues for leaking information and gossiping about Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves. Speaking on The News Agents podcast, Lammy said he was 'really disappointed' with the leaks from within the government, including details about his own reforms to the court system.
Lammy urged those briefing the press to 'stop it', describing the behaviour as 'counterproductive'. He said: 'Feeling cosy with journalists and having a drink and bitching about colleagues is not conducive to getting on with the business of serving the people of this country.'
The criticism comes after ministers accused Starmer and Reeves of misleading the Cabinet about a black hole in public finances. One Cabinet minister told The Times that 'the handling of this budget has been a disaster from start to finish'.
At Prime Minister's Questions, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch seized on the briefing war, ridiculing the frontbench and asking which minister had briefed against their own team.
Lammy's plans to reduce the number of jury trials were leaked to the press last week, before their official release. He faced a backlash over proposals to scrap jury trials for offences likely to get a sentence of less than five years, later amending the threshold to three years.
