Health Secretary Wes Streeting has forcefully denied accusations from Downing Street allies that he is plotting a leadership challenge against Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Speaking to Sky News on Wednesday morning, Streeting dismissed the claims as conspiracy theories and blamed "self-defeating" briefing from within the government.
The accusations emerged as Labour faces pressure ahead of an upcoming Budget and local elections in May. Senior sources close to Starmer have privately accused Streeting and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood of maneuvering against the Prime Minister, with warnings that any leadership challenge could destabilize markets and damage international relations.
Streeting responded with sarcasm to the allegations. «Yes, and nor did I shoot JFK. I don't know where Lord Lucan is, had nothing to do with Shergar, and I do think that the US did manage to do the moon landings. I don't think they were fake,» he told Sky News. He called the briefing «totally self-defeating» and insisted it was «not true.»
His spokesman stated the claims were «categorically untrue,» adding that Streeting's «focus has entirely been on cutting waiting lists for the first time in 15 years, recruiting 2,500 more GPs, and rebuilding the NHS that saved his life.»
Internal Labour tensions
The public split has exposed deep divisions within Labour. One government source told The Guardian that Downing Street had gone «into full bunker mode, turning on their most loyal cabinet members for absolutely no reason.» The source claimed a pattern of Starmer's team briefing against colleagues including Angela Rayner, Lisa Nandy and Lucy Powell.
A senior source close to the Prime Minister warned of serious consequences. «If you chuck a leadership challenge in just 18 months into government you'd destabilise the markets, our allies and I don't think the public would forgive us,» the source said. Under Labour party rules, 81 MPs would need to back a rival candidate to trigger a formal leadership contest.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
