Starmer aide McSweeney ‘toast’ after botched briefing ends in ‘epic own goal’
Sir Keir Starmer faces a major crisis at the heart of his government after his chief of staff was accused of a failed effort to thwart a leadership challenge.
The Prime Minister is under pressure to sack Morgan McSweeney over a pre-emptive attempt to thwart any coup to oust Sir Keir; A number of ministers and Labor MPs are privately calling for the No 10 Chief of Staff to be sacked after a day of chaos that raises serious questions about the government’s future.
Wes Streeting, who was targeted as a potential rival at the briefing, hit back at suggestions he was planning a tilt against the leadership as he criticized the “toxic culture” at Downing Street.
Asked about Mr McSweeney at the NHS Providers conference in Manchester, the health secretary said: “I’m not going to contribute to the toxic culture by contributing to the toxic culture and going after individuals. I don’t think that would be a constructive or positive thing and the only thing I would say about Morgan McSweeney is that there wouldn’t be a Labor government without him.”
As Tory leader Kemi Badenoch lay dying in the searing PMQs, Sir Keir refused to take the opportunity to back Mr McSweeney unequivocally. The lack of confirmation suggests that Mr McSweeney was behind the briefing and is now in the line of fire.
Minister of Labor told Independent: “The Prime Minister needs to bring in someone who really knows what he is doing, who understands both politics and the PLP (parliamentary Labor Party). If that means change, then fine. If it means standing by him, then fine, but it can’t go on like this.”
Asked about Mr McSweeney’s future in Downing Street, a senior Labor official said simply: “Laughter.”
But another change to a key role in his senior team would be hugely damaging for Sir Keir, who sacked his first chief of staff, Sue Gray, just months after the election and has already lost three communications directors in less than 18 months.
A new YouGov poll out on Wednesday shows nearly half (51 per cent) of Britons think Starmer should stand down as Labor leader and let someone else take his place. On the other hand, 27 percent think he should stay, and 23 percent don’t know.
Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s former director of communications, said it was inconceivable that Sir Keir was unaware of the briefing and condemned it as a “clumsy, stupid move” and “utter madness”. He told Radio 4 The World Comes Together This will happen again and again unless the person responsible is “turned out or fired.”
MPs have been calling for Mr McSweeney to go since another blunder over benefit cuts triggered a major backbench revolt before the summer. But he was also credited with Sir Keir’s successful leadership campaign following the departure of Jeremy Corbyn, with the prime minister’s survival closely tied to the survival of his chief of staff.
But others have claimed Mr Streeting, defense secretary John Healey, energy minister Ed Miliband and home secretary Shabana Mahmood have been maneuvering to replace the injured prime minister in the past few weeks.
A website template has been made available at www.wesforleader.com, although Mr Streeting has denied being part of any coup attempt. But pollsters have warned that the development has plunged Labor into a state of “civil war”.
Polling expert Lord Hayward said: Independent: “The speed at which events are progressing is quite astonishing for any political party, especially Labor, which has not gotten rid of its leaders.
“This has put Labor in a state of civil war that didn’t need to happen until next May. Labor will now have the next six months until the local elections, they will be fighting over the leadership and what they know they should have done is actually fight Reformation and more importantly they should have got the message out about what they were doing to change the country.”
Peter Kellner, former chairman of YouGov, said: “Post-Keir poll ratings will depend on whether his successor can build a reputation as competent and trustworthy. These qualities will matter as much as, and possibly more than, any change in policies.”
Downing Street, which came together after the PMQ, tried to repair the damage. Asked whether Sir Keir had confidence in Mr McSweeney, a spokesman said: “Yes, as stated in the House.”
The Prime Minister said: “Morgan McSweeney, my team and I are absolutely focused on serving the country.” But he added pointedly: “Let me be clear: Of course, I have never authorized attacks on cabinet members. I appointed them to these positions because they are the people who can do their jobs best.”
Labor MPs have vented their anger at Downing Street’s “epic own goal” that could boost the chances of challenging Sir Keir.
One senior MP said: “What a mess and an own goal from No 10. They literally created a storyline that wasn’t needed and it backfired spectacularly, even those who aren’t Wes Streeting fans are now thinking, what the hell! This is hugely embarrassing for No 10 but a massive win for Wes. What an epic own goal.”
One senior backbencher said: “This needs to end. We want a government that focuses on service and we want my constituents to believe they are being listened to, with much-needed investment in jobs, skills and new opportunities that will benefit those who work hard.”
