Keir Starmer’s top aide had ‘shouting match phone call’ with Streeting | Politics | News
Keir Starmer’s most senior adviser had a furious row with Wes Streeting earlier this week during No 10’s shocking briefings against the Health Secretary. In another sign of huge divisions within the government, Mr Streeting’s phone call to Downing Street’s chief of staff turned “very shouty” after he discovered the prime minister’s plans to brief against him.
Attacks on Mr Streeting from the 10th source on Tuesday evening accused him of plotting to oust Keir Starmer in a coup. This came alongside proactive briefings that Sir Keir would fight to win any potential leadership election and would not remain silent when conspirators tried to oust him from Downing Street. Sunday Times He revealed that Mr Streeting became aware of the attacks on Tuesday afternoon, when journalists contacted him ahead of broadcast that evening.
The senior cabinet minister was returning to Whitehall from an Armistice Day commemoration in his east London constituency when he picked up the phone to contact Mr McSweeney.
Facing ongoing calls for his sacking, Sir Keir’s right-hand man has denied he was behind the briefings on Mr Streeting.
At this point the call became “very loud” and “very angry” as Mr Streeting refused to accept Mr McSweeney’s claims that he was not behind the personal media attacks. The phone call “ended unresolved,” according to the newspaper.
This morning, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who has been tipped as Sir Keir’s credible successor, described the briefing battle as “uninstructive and deeply embarrassing for all concerned”.
He told Sky News the row was “indicative” of Westminster as he defended Sir Keir as “our Prime Minister”.
“We won an election about a year and a half ago at a time when people thought we might not win an election for perhaps a generation or more. “I don’t have time for this stuff that people are saying or off the record briefings or, frankly, the inane chatter of Westminster.
“If people have something to say, they should have the courage to put their beliefs out there and say it publicly, but that’s not what’s happening.
“I think what happened earlier this week, with all these anonymous briefings, was uneducational and deeply embarrassing for everyone involved.”
But it is also claimed that Angela Rayner is now openly making plans to land the top job and is offering cabinet roles to potential supporters.
A source told the Sunday Telegraph that the sacked former deputy Prime Minister was “maneuvering” and “getting his ducks in a row”. On Friday night, Labor MP Clive Lewis became the first to call for the Prime Minister’s resignation over his ‘indefensible’ attitude.
He told Channel 4: “I don’t see how this situation can continue without any solution on the horizon.”
