Starmer Weathers Leadership Storm as Failed Coup Strengthens His Position
In a dramatic turn of events, Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer has faced down a leadership challenge from Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, emerging not only unscathed but potentially fortified by the ordeal. The attempted coup, which fizzled out almost as quickly as it began, has drawn comparisons to historical plots against Labour leaders, suggesting that Starmer's survival might be precisely what his premiership needed.
A Warning Call and a Forensic Response
Anas Sarwar's decision to publicly denounce Starmer was preceded by a call to the Prime Minister, a move described as having decency but lacking strategic sense. In what might be the first documented case of an assassin warning their target, Sarwar's advance notice allowed Starmer to prepare a robust defence. According to Westminster accounts, Starmer responded with forensic precision, demanding details of the plot's execution, timing, and proposed successor. Sarwar, reportedly unable to provide coherent answers, saw his challenge dissipate like a discarded snack on a damp Edinburgh night.
Westminster Rumours and Unnamed Ministers
The rumour mill suggests that a cabinet minister, remaining unnamed, attempted to fabricate a narrative where Sarwar's actions would trigger junior ministerial resignations, ultimately positioning Wes Streeting as Labour's saviour in Scotland. However, this manufactured plot lacked substance, failing to gain traction among party members or the public.
Historically, the "Sarwar 2026" coup compares unfavourably to significant political upheavals like Robespierre's rise in 1789, Lenin's revolution in 1917, or even James Purnell's resignation from Gordon Brown's cabinet in 2009. Purnell's bold move, urging Brown to step aside for Labour's electoral chances, sparked media frenzy but ultimately saw Brown lead the party into the 2010 election, albeit to defeat.
Starmer's Rallying Cry and Cabinet Unity
Despite the absence of key advisers Morgan McSweeney and Tim Allan, Starmer successfully rallied the entire cabinet, including Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, to publicly support him following Sarwar's intervention. Behind closed doors, Starmer delivered a spirited address to party members, with one typically critical MP remarking to Politico that if this version of Starmer could be showcased to the nation, Labour would "walk 2029." This raises questions about whether previous advisers had inadvertently restrained a more dynamic leader.
The Reality of Potential Successors
While potential successors like Andy Burnham, Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner, and Shabana Mahmood each possess distinct strengths—Streeting's argumentative prowess, Rayner's authenticity, Mahmood's efficiency, Burnham's northern popularity—none offer a transformative solution. Policy differences remain marginal, and as critics note about Burnham, it would largely be about the "vibe." Moreover, any leadership change risks dividing the party, mirroring the Conservative Party's internal strife under successive leadership ballots, which alienated voters and compounded political misfortunes.
Starmer's Comparative Strengths and Historical Context
Starmer's tenure, despite errors and shortcomings, lacks the scandals that plagued predecessors like Boris Johnson's Partygate or Liz Truss's economic mismanagement. He has not been found to have lied to Parliament, and financial markets express more fear about potential replacements than his current policies with Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
In this, Starmer follows a tradition of Labour prime ministers since the war—all except James Callaghan faced deposition plots, and all survived because, at the time, they represented the best available option for the party. Their rivals often harboured more animosity toward each other than toward leaders like Clement Attlee, Harold Wilson, Tony Blair, or Gordon Brown. Today, Starmer stands in this lineage, poised to prevail not despite the coup, but because of it, as unity emerges from attempted discord.
