Labour At War As Starmer Allies Condemned For 'Incredibly Stupid' Briefing Against Wes Streeting
Allies of Keir Starmer have been condemned over “incredibly stupid” calls for the prime minister to sack Wes Streeting.
The Times quoted three cabinet ministers urging the prime minister to dump his health secretary for plotting against him.
But senior Labour figures reacted with fury, accusing the PM’s allies of taking attention away from the bitter battle on the right of British politics following Robert Jenrick’s defection from the Tories to Reform UK.
A spokesperson for Streeting said: “It’s a real shame that Keir’s so-called allies are briefing against Wes yet again, when they should be talking about the second biggest fall in waiting lists in 15 years, and ambulances arriving 15 minutes faster with Labour.
“Given Reform and the Tories are at each other’s throats right now, this briefing is also incredibly stupid. Wes is delivering real change in the NHS, and is out there making the case for Keir and for Labour.”
One cabinet minister told HuffPost UK: “My own view is that we need less drama and to just get on with doing our jobs.”
An MP said: “They need their bumps feeling if they are egging Keir on to do this.”
A senior Labour source said: “No.10 just can’t help themselves – and they can’t blame Wes for this one.”
A government aide said calls for Streeting to be sacked were “madness”, while a Labour insider described those behind the briefing as “village idiots”.
The latest round of cabinet in-fighting comes just two months after Starmer was forced to apologise after No.10 insiders accused Streeting of plotting against him.
The health secretary said that was untrue – and accused the PM’s supporters of trying to “kneecap” him.
Tensions between Streeting and Starmer burst into the open earlier this week after the PM’s U-turn on compulsory digital ID cards.
Appearing on BBC Breakfast the following day, the health secretary appeared to take a thinly-veiled swipe at No.10′s repeated policy climbdowns.
He said: “I get that frustration on the part of Labour MPs. I think one of the ways we ought to put that right is to make sure that when we’re doing big things or things that might be controversial, that we have the debate in advance of the decision rather than the debate after the decision.”
However, allies of Starmer told HuffPost UK that Streeting had “massively over-reached” in his criticism of the PM, which has damaged his standing with Labour MPs.
The latest bout of Labour in-fighting comes as Starmer’s allies mount a campaign to keep him in his job as the party braces for defeat in May’s local elections.