Keir Starmer is facing intense pressure over the future of Morgan McSweeney after the prime minister’s chief of staff was blamed for No 10’s pushback against a possible leadership challenge.
After Starmer dodged a question from Kemi Badenoch at prime minister’s questions about whether he had full confidence in his key aide, Downing Street later clarified that he did.
A series of ministers and Labour MPs are pointing the finger at McSweeney for the pre-emptive operation that particularly targeted Wes Streeting, the health secretary, who has responded with undisguised fury.
Pressed at PMQs by Badenoch, who said Starmer had lost control of his government, the prime minister condemned as “completely unacceptable” any briefings against cabinet ministers from inside Downing Street.
Badenoch asked him to say he had full confidence in McSweeney, to which Starmer gave a non-committal answer.
Challenged about this in a post-PMQs briefing, and asked whether Starmer did have confidence in McSweeney, the prime minister’s press secretary replied: “Yes.”
She added: “He has always been very clear that he will continue to serve as prime minister at the next election, that this is a project which is about a decade of national renewal, because that’s what it takes to turn the country around after 14 years of failure from the Tories.”
Questioned about potential action against unauthorised briefings, she said: “As he set out previously, any unauthorised briefing against cabinet ministers would be dealt with.”
The Guardian reported on Tuesday that Downing Street had launched an operation to protect Starmer against a leadership challenge his allies believe could come from Streeting after this month’s budget or the May local elections.
Starmer’s closest allies said he would fight any “reckless” attempt to oust him, which they warned would affect the markets and the UK’s international relationships.
On Wednesday morning, Streeting vehemently denied such plotting and said the “self-defeating” attacks on him were indicative of a toxic culture inside No 10.
Badenoch began prime minister’s questions by asking: “This morning on the BBC, the health secretary said there is a toxic culture in Downing Street that needs to change. He’s right, isn’t he?”
Starmer replied: “My focus, each and every day, is on rebuilding and renewing our country. Let me be absolutely clear: any attack on any member of my cabinet is completely unacceptable.”
He praised Streeting’s record as health secretary, adding: “He is doing a great job, as is all of my cabinet.”
Starmer went on: “Let me be clear, I have never authorised attacks on cabinet members. I appointed them to their posts because they’re the best people to carry out their jobs.”
Badenoch later lambasted Starmer over his record on unemployment and the economy more widely, before returning to the No 10 infighting. She ended her questions by saying: “Isn’t it the case that this prime minister has lost control of his government, he has lost the confidence of his party and lost the trust of the British people.”
Starmer responded: “They [the Conservatives] broke the economy and now they’ve got this unserious idea that they can find £47bn of cuts, without saying where they’re going to come from. Meanwhile, we’re rebuilding the country.”
Speaking to the BBC earlier on Wednesday, Streeting said the attacks on him showed that Lucy Powell, the newly elected Labour deputy leader, “was right about the culture of No 10”.
Powell has called for a culture change inside No 10 and said she has been a target of negative briefings from the prime minister’s team, singling out McSweeney for criticism.
Streeting said: “I can tell you without having even spoken to the prime minister what he thinks of briefing, what his reaction will be to the front pages and the broadcast bulletins overnight, and the words I’m sure he would use are not suitable for a family show.”
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