Health Secretary Wes Streeting has strongly denied allegations he is plotting to oust Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, dismissing the claims as "self-defeating and self-destructive" rumours. The denial comes after late-night briefings from Downing Street allies suggested senior Labour figures, including Streeting, might be "on manoeuvres" to challenge the Prime Minister ahead of the Budget on November 26.
Streeting told Sky News the briefings were counterproductive and untrue. «This is just about the worst attack on a faithful I've seen since Joe Marler was kicked out and banished in the final,» he said. «It's totally self-defeating briefing, not least because it's not true and I don't understand how anyone thinks it's helpful to the Prime Minister either.»
Sir Keir Starmer condemned the attacks at Prime Minister's Questions, saying «any attack on any member of my Cabinet is completely unacceptable». He defended Streeting's work on the National Health Service and affirmed confidence in his entire Cabinet. The Prime Minister also backed his Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney, stating they were «absolutely focused on delivering for the country».
Internal tensions
Streeting called for those responsible for the briefings to be sacked, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme that some people around the Prime Minister «do not follow his model and style of leadership». He added that when asked if the briefers should be dismissed: «Yes. But he's got to find them first and I wouldn't expect him to waste loads of time on this.»
The briefings also named Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband as potential leadership challengers. This follows previous briefings against female Cabinet ministers including Angela Rayner, Lisa Nandy, and Bridget Phillipson.
Party rules and impact
Under Labour Party rules, a leadership challenge requires nominations from 20 per cent of MPs, currently 81 members. Jo White, chairwoman of the Red Wall group of Labour MPs, dismissed the rumours as the work of «a group of people who think they're much cleverer than the rest of us, who spend their time selectively briefing journalists and stirring the pot».
The political turmoil comes just two weeks before the Budget, with Liberal Democrats warning the internal conflict is «incredibly damaging» to markets and investors. Financial markets showed unease on Wednesday, with yields on 10-year gilts rising by three basis points to 4.42 per cent.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
