The most dangerous moment of Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership came on Wednesday afternoon, when mutiny was the talk of the Commons tea room after the Conservatives forced the disclosure of vetting documents linked to Peter Mandelson. Anger was widespread among Labour’s new MPs, who felt tarnished by sleaze they thought the party would end.
“At about 2pm yesterday, if someone had pulled the trigger, we would have moved,” one 2024 intake MP said. “No one dared.” Another new MP expressed “contempt” for leadership contenders who had not taken their chance, saying “we needed leadership”.
Angela Rayner’s stock rose after her intervention saved the government from defeat, but she is waiting for an HMRC judgment over unpaid stamp duty. Wes Streeting was absent at the critical moment and has a close friendship with Mandelson. Allies of both insisted they had no intention of moving against Starmer.
Several MPs went public to suggest a leadership change, including left-wing MPs Rachael Maskell, John McDonnell and Barry Gardiner, as well as Karl Turner. But many loyalist MPs said Starmer remained in place only because of the reluctance of his challengers. “The biggest thing Keir has going for him right now is that there’s not an obvious successor,” one senior MP said.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch extended the debate by four hours, giving Starmer a reprieve. By the time the vote came at 7pm, exhaustion had replaced anger, and a deal meant the vote passed on the nod. MPs credited Rayner, Meg Hillier, Jess Phillips and Alan Campbell for seeing the risk early.
Several MPs expressed deep frustration at the malaise, but no challenger was brave enough to act. “If you are not brave enough to be first out of the traps, you don’t deserve to be prime minister,” one 2024 MP said.
