UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Health Secretary Wes Streeting rules out challenging Prime Minister Keir Starmer, calling the rumours “unhelpful” and “self-defeating.”
As reported by The Guardian, Wes Streeting denied reports of plotting to oust Keir Starmer, dismissing the speculation as baseless conspiracy theories.
How did Wes Streeting respond to rumours of a plot against Keir Starmer?
Wes Streeting compared rumours of a plot against Keir Starmer to conspiracy theories, labelling them “unhelpful” and “self-defeating.”
His remarks come after late-night briefings from Number 10, where allies defended the prime minister amid fears his position could be at risk after the upcoming Budget.
According to insiders, the briefings were reportedly aimed at undermining senior Labour figures said to be “on manoeuvres” to replace Mr Starmer.
The health secretary rejected the claims on Wednesday, saying,
“I think whoever’s been briefing this has been watching too much Celebrity Traitors, and this is just about the worst attack on a faithful I’ve seen since Joe Marler was kicked out and banished in the final.”
He said,
“It’s a totally self-defeating briefing, not least because it’s not true and I don’t understand how anyone thinks it’s helpful to the prime minister either.”
When questioned about whether he would push for the Prime Minister’s resignation after the Budget, Mr Streeting replied, “Yes, and nor did I shoot JFK.”
He stated,
“I don’t know where Lord Lucan is, had nothing to do with Shergar, and I do think that the US did manage to do the moon landings. I don’t think they were fake.”
Mr Streeting called on the Prime Minister to remove aides responsible for the “self-defeating” leadership briefing.
He said,
“It’s bad enough when events knock you off course, to get your message across. It is worse still when self-defeating briefing knocks us of course and stops us from telling what I think is a strong message of change and delivery that we’ve got right across the government. ”
When questioned if the prime minister had engaged with him since the briefings on Tuesday night, Mr Streeting responded,
“No, and I think he’s got better things to do with his life and I wouldn’t expect him to. In fact, if he does, I’ll tell him ‘why are you bothering with this.’”
The health secretary continued,
“It says that there are people around the Prime Minister who do not follow his model and style of leadership. 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 like this.”
Pressed on whether he should dismiss those responsible, Mr Streeting replied,
“Yes. But he’s got to find them first and I wouldn’t expect him to waste loads of time on this.”
After late-night briefings, the Health Secretary called the culture at Number 10 “self-destructive.”
Mr Streeting said,
“I do think that trying to kneecap one of your own team when they are out, not just making the case for the government, but actually delivering the change that we promised, I think that is self-defeating and self-destructive behaviour.”
He added,
“I also think whoever did this doesn’t speak for the prime minister – I speak for the prime minister.”
Mr Streeting rejected the Downing Street briefings against him as “silly” and “juvenile.”
He said,
“What I’d say to the silly No 10 briefer is that every time they put these sorts of things out, whether it’s about me or anyone else, to be honest, it distracts from telling what I think is a positive story for Labour to tell. It stops us getting a Labour argument across, and that’s why it’s not just juvenile, it’s self-defeating.”
When asked who was responsible, the health secretary replied,
“No. If I did, I would tell the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister would sack them. That’s the other thing I know about this Prime Minister: nothing grinds his gears more than this kind of like Westminster bubble stuff and the briefings to newspapers.”
Mr Streeting said,
“You don’t see him angry often, but at Cabinet meetings, the only time I’ve seen him really angry is when there have been briefings against colleagues.”
Asked if the prime minister had lost control of Number 10, he responded,
“I wouldn’t put it like that, I would say there are some people in Downing Street who evidently do not model the behaviours and style of leadership that the Prime Minister models.”
What did Jo White say about leadership briefings against Wes Streeting?
Jo White, chair of the Red Wall MPs, dismissed leadership briefings as “neither the time nor the place.”
She said,
“Our enemies love nothing more than when we start fighting like dogs in public, and my message to those MPs who are running around with their tails held high: That this is neither the time or the place.”
Ms White stated,
“This is a group of people who think they’re much cleverer than the rest of us, who spend their time selectively briefing journalists and stirring the pot. I want to simply say: We’re not having it.”
She added,
“I’m not aware of a single person in the red wall group who’s involved in this. And if anyone, including Wes Streeting, wants to make a move, they would have to speak to us. He’s a London MP and it hasn’t happened and it’s not true.”
Ms White continued,
“I’d like to say to No 10, I think they’re barking up the wrong tree, briefing against Wes. I’ve known Wes since he was NUS president. He’s one of the tiny handful of MPs who came up to Bassetlaw to help me with my election.
He’s only just recently written a really kind letter to one of my members who lost her husband. And I think I’d know – he’d tell me if he was manoeuvring.”
Why did Number 10 launch late-night briefings to defend Keir Starmer?
Number 10 staged a series of late-night briefings, with Keir Starmer’s allies moving to protect him amid speculation his position could be at risk after the autumn Budget.
According to reports, Downing Street targeted Wes Streeting in an effort to warn off possible leadership bids from senior Labour figures, including Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.
A Number 10 insider described Wes Streeting as a “brilliant” health secretary and dismissed the leadership rumours as mere speculation.
The figure said the prime minister would confront any leadership challenge, calling such a move irresponsible and insisting Mr Starmer remains focused on governing.
Which senior Labour member called out Number 10 for leaking negative briefings?
In September, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson claimed to have been the victim of “sexist briefings” from within Number 10, implying that negative, gender-biased leaks were used against her during internal party conflicts and leadership contests.
She accused briefings of sparking a campaign against her and rejected claims that she was Downing Street’s preferred candidate for deputy leadership after Angela Rayner’s resignation.
Downing Street’s negative briefings have stirred tension in Labour, raising fears they undermine Keir Starmer’s leadership and the party’s image.
