I have never authorised attacks on ministers, says Keir Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer insisted he “never condoned” attacks on cabinet ministers and said briefings against them were “unacceptable”.

The Prime Minister was speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions after some of his allies told multiple media outlets that another cabinet minister, such as Health Minister Wes Streeting, could face a leadership challenge.

There has been speculation as to the extent to which Sir Keir was aware of anonymous briefings intended to support his position or in some way encouraging them.

Streeting denied making a leadership bid and called for those behind the briefings to be sacked.

Asked at an NHS conference in Manchester whether he would fight alongside Sir Keir if there were any plots to oust him as Prime Minister, Streeting said: “Yes.”

“The strange thing about the youth briefing overnight is that people in No 10 are saying they are fighting for the Prime Minister’s job.

“I don’t think that’s a helpful or constructive thing to say, and I also don’t think it’s right,” he added.

Streeting has previously attacked the “toxic culture” at Number 10; Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch seized on a comment saying the Prime Minister had “lost control of his government… and lost the trust of the British people”.

Badenoch said Downing Street chief of staff Morgan McSweeney was responsible for the culture at No 10 and asked whether the prime minister still had confidence in him.

Sir Keir responded: “Morgan McSweeney, my team and I are absolutely focused on delivering for the country.

“Let me be clear, I have never allowed attacks on cabinet members, I appointed them to their positions because they are the people who can do their jobs best.”

Sir Keir told MPs “any attack on any member of my cabinet is completely unacceptable”.

Said Streeting missed delivering PMQs A speech at the NHS conference – was doing a “great job” reducing waiting lists and increasing the number of doctors.

Speaking after PMQs, the prime minister’s press secretary told reporters that briefings against Streeting were coming from “outside No 10” and that the prime minister had full confidence in McSweeney.

The spokesman declined to say whether there was an investigation into the leak, but said leaks would be “dealt with.”

Such briefings are often part of political reporting in Westminster, where people talk to journalists “off the record”.

This means they say things they weren’t prepared to say on camera, and the BBC quotes this to tell the full story.

On Tuesday evening, the prime minister’s supporters told reporters he would mount a challenge to his leadership, which they believed could happen soon after the Budget on 26 November.

They argued that removing the prime minister could create chaos, destabilize international markets and damage his relationship with US President Donald Trump.

Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood is among those being discussed by Labor MPs as potential candidates to replace Sir Keir. There is speculation that Energy Minister Ed Miliband could also be a candidate.

The health minister had a chance to respond to the allegations when he held media interviews on Wednesday morning.

Speaking to the BBC, he said he was “not challenging the prime minister” adding: “I’m not doing any of the things some silly briefer said overnight.”

Asked if he would consider opposing the Prime Minister in the future, he replied: “I don’t see the circumstances under which I could do that to our Prime Minister.”

He said media briefings showed the culture in Downing Street was “toxic”.

Claiming that he did not believe the Prime Minister had approved the briefing, he told the BBC: “I can tell the Prime Minister what he thinks about the briefings without even speaking to him; the words he would use are not appropriate for a family show like this.”

Despite winning an overwhelming majority in the July 2024 general election, Sir Keir has had a difficult time in Downing Street and opinion polls show he is unpopular.

Both the budget in two weeks’ time, elections in Scotland and Wales and local elections in England next year are critical points for the government.

The prime minister’s supporters argued that the leadership race would plunge the party into the chaos of the final years of the previous Conservative administration.

To trigger a leadership race against the Prime Minister, rivals will need the support of 20 per cent of Labor MPs, meaning 81 candidates are now required.

Some Labor MPs and ministers publicly and privately condemned the briefings.

Appearing on BBC Politics Live, Business Secretary Sir Chris Bryant said he thought they were “just plain stupid”.

Labor MP Bassetlaw Jo White said: “This is a group of people who think they are so much smarter than the rest of us, who spend their time selectively briefing journalists and making a fuss.

“I simply want to say: we don’t have it.”

But some Labor MPs, who generally support the prime minister, described the timing and content of the briefing as “poorly handled” and “surprising”.

A senior Labor figure questioned why Sir Keir’s allies were “legitimizing the taboo” by publicly entertaining the prospect of a leadership fight.