Civil War Erupts in Labour Government
Allies of Prime Minister Keir Starmer have issued a stark warning to Labour plotters considering a leadership challenge, suggesting that removing him could trigger a general election. The dramatic threat comes amid swirling rumours at Westminster about Sir Keir's future as Labour leader.
Friends of the beleaguered Prime Minister claimed that any new leader would 'need their own mandate' from voters, despite there being no legal requirement for a new prime minister to call an immediate election. One source close to the situation stated: 'In the modern age, you need your own mandate. We saw under the Tories – and even with Gordon Brown – that the public hate the idea that political parties can stitch up the choice of a new PM without them.'
Chaotic Briefings and Backfired Strategy
The warning followed a disastrous attempt by Downing Street to undermine potential leadership rival Wes Streeting. A series of toxic overnight briefings accused the Health Secretary of plotting a coup and described Labour MPs as 'feral', but the strategy backfired spectacularly.
Mr Streeting responded with a series of media appearances where he angrily denied planning a leadership challenge and called for those responsible for the briefings to be removed. He described the accusations as 'bizarre' and 'totally self-defeating', adding: 'I don't understand how anyone thinks it's helpful to the Prime Minister either.'
The Health Secretary pointedly referenced the need for a 'culture change' in Number 10 and suggested that 'going out and calling your MPs feral is not very helpful.' He also criticised attempts to 'kneecap' members of the government team while they were trying to deliver on election promises.
Leadership Speculation Intensifies
With Labour currently averaging less than 20 per cent in the polls, an election now could see hundreds of MPs lose their seats. This has intensified speculation about Sir Keir's leadership less than 18 months after he won a landslide election victory.
Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch declared that the government had 'descended into civil war', while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told the Daily Mail: 'This is a government that is all at sea, without a rudder. The sooner we have an election, the better it will be for the country.'
Mr Farage went further, predicting that Sir Keir 'won't make it past July' after elections in Scotland, Wales and English councils where Reform are expected to perform strongly against both major parties.
Labour MPs believe several senior figures are positioning themselves for a potential future leadership challenge, including Wes Streeting, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, former deputy PM Angela Rayner and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. However, most observers believe no immediate challenge is planned.
The Prime Minister has ordered an investigation into the briefings against Mr Streeting and promised to 'take action'. In the Commons, Sir Keir described the 'unauthorised' briefing as 'completely unacceptable' and stated he had 'never authorised attacks on Cabinet members'.
