Labour MPs Say No 10 Briefing Has Increased Wes Streeting’s Chances Of Becoming PM
3 min read
Labour MPs have told PoliticsHome that Wes Streeting’s stock has increased among members of the Parliamentary Labour Party, particularly its soft left, after No 10 briefed that Keir Starmer was vulnerable to a leadership challenge by the Health Secretary.
“They've managed to create a situation where Wes is the victim/the adult in the room,” a backbench Labour MP said.
They suggested soft left MPs are now privately backing Streeting for the leadership, adding: “Honestly, I think at this stage a broad spectrum of MPs are willing to heavily compromise on ideology in favour of competence/emotional intelligence.”
Another said Streeting had emerged from Wednesday morning's media round, in which he was asked about the allegations against him briefed overnight, in a position "so much stronger".
"He was under a bit of pressure this morning and had to perform, but the reward was huge and he nailed it," the backbencher told PoliticsHome.
Downing Street launched an operation on Tuesday night amid fears that Starmer's premiership could be under threat after the Budget – six months before the May local elections, which are expected to deliver bruising results for the Labour Party and which have been described as a deadline for Starmer.
No 10 sources defended the Prime Minister by emphasising that any moves against him would be destabilising for the party and create panic in the bond markets.
The reference to markets had gone down particularly badly, as it was “basically suggesting the PLP are the problem” and “we’re all just too stupid to understand that markets trump democracy”, said the first Labour MP quoted above.
On the media round this morning, Streeting denied he was plotting to oust the Prime Minister and said those briefing had been “watching too much Celebrity Traitors”.
The Health Secretary said the briefing showed Lucy Powell – the soft left MP recently elected as Labour's deputy leader – was right to criticise the way No 10 is being run. He called for Starmer to sack the aides responsible.
Ministers were privately appalled by the briefing too, with one calling the situation a “f***ing mess” and speculating that a Downing Street aide must have “gone rogue”.
They added that Starmer is “so distant from it all”, he may only be “vaguely aware” of the briefing operation.
One loyalist Labour MP said that the events of last night were a "catastrophe" and the last thing the public wants is a "return to the psychodrama we saw under the last government".
No 10 sources appeared to be backtracking on Wednesday morning, insisting to ITV's Robert Peston that they were not proactively briefing about Starmer's leadership and that they fully back the job Streeting is doing as Health Secretary.
One government source told PoliticsHome that the Downing Street operation was sorely missing Steph Driver, the PM's former director of communications who quit the role in September, having worked closely with Starmer for five years.
The Prime Minister has long been criticised for being too distant from his MPs, although he has recently made efforts to meet with them in person. Both Starmer and his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, have hosted Labour MPs in Downing Street in recent weeks as part of a bid to improve relations with the back benches.
The Guardian quote from the Downing Street source saying Starmer “doesn’t realise this is existential for him” was particularly criticised by MPs who said it made the PM appear clueless or “basically thick”.
Additional reporting by Harriet Symonds and Matilda Martin
