Starmer’s shambles in No 10 risks handing power to Farage, Alastair Campbell warns
Sir Keir Starmer has been warned by Tony Blair’s former Downing Street spin doctor to “check in” at No 10 or risk losing power to Nigel Farage.
In a devastating attack, Alastair Campbell said public support for the prime minister was rapidly “weakening”, adding that the government “lacked a compelling narrative” and had “conceded too many own goals”.
Mr Campbell’s intervention came amid reports that the prime minister had apologized to health secretary Wes Streeting for the briefing operation against Mr Streeting in Downing Street on Tuesday evening.
Mr Campbell said the prime minister needed to regain control as he faced demands to sack Sir Keir’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney over claims from sources that Mr Streeting was preparing to launch a leadership coup.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4 Today Mr Campbell said he believed Labour’s strategy was “not going very well”.
He said: “The worst thing about recent days is that a relatively new government looks like the last party.
“There are bigger, worse enemies like Nigel Farage. [is] “We’re going to come and take over this country and take it to a very dark place.”
Mr Campbell, who resigned in 2003 after working for Mr Blair for almost a decade, warned: “I think what we are seeing is that, in a media world that prioritizes scandal and personality over policy and trends, there are too many people in politics feeding the madness rather than simply governing.
“And in my opinion, the worst thing about recent days is that a relatively new government with a large majority looks too much like the last party. [the Conservative Party].
He continued: “Morgan [McSweeney] very very important, [he] It’s been that way for a long time, but I hope by now he realizes that governing and campaigning are not the same thing. Everyone in Number 10 must understand that they are there to serve the prime minister and the government. No one should care what they think, what they do, what their grand strategic thoughts are. “And right now the strategy is not going very well.”
Mr Campbell warned that everyone in public life “has a bank of repute and money comes in and goes out”.
He said: “Something has gone terribly wrong, so much has been wasted [in] “We have just over a year in government.”
A colleague from the Labor Party told Independent She said Sir Keir had been “derailed” by some people around him and called on him to sack Mr McSweeney.
“Some say McSweeney is too powerful to be sacked, but this shows Starmer is now in full control,” he said.
It comes as energy minister Ed Miliband claimed Sir Keir wanted to sack the man responsible for the briefings that derailed the government this week.
Mr Miliband, who is also accused of maneuvering to replace Sir Keir, insisted the Prime Minister would be “saved” if he found out who was responsible for the debacle.
“I have spoken to Keir before about this type of briefing. As he always says, if he finds that person, he will get rid of them and I firmly believe he will do that,” he told Sky News.
Asked whether he thought Sir Keir would sack the person, Mr Miliband said: “Of course, yes.”
He also noted that briefings were a “long-standing aspect” of politics, noting that there had been “numerous briefings” under Mr Blair and Gordon Brown.
Mr Miliband continued: “Look, I think the briefing was bad, there’s no doubt about it. But my message to Labor today is quite simple, which is that we need to focus on the country, not ourselves.” “Turbulence is part of the job, part of the DNA of being in government.”
