Downing Street appeared to be at war last night as extraordinary reports emerged about a rift at the very heart of the Cabinet.
Allies of the PM are said to be fearing Sir Keir Starmer could be ousted in a matter of weeks if the Budget does not “land” well – and the Chancellor has strongly hinted on breaking Labour’s manifesto to hike income tax.
Rivals, most notably Health Secretary Wes Streeting, are accused of launching shadowy leadership bids – which Mr Streeting’s team has vehemently denied.
Sources in No10 said they had been told Mr Streeting had amassed a 50-strong army of frontbenchers “willing to stand down” if the Budget falls flat.
Multiple ministers anonymously warned that the Health Secretary was only one of several Labour figures “on manoeuvres” against the PM.
A Government source said: “No10 has gone into full bunker mode, turning on their most loyal cabinet members for absolutely no reason.
“Unfortunately there is a pattern of Keir’s team briefing against his own people – they did it to Angela [Rayner], Lisa [Nandy], Lucy [Powell], now it’s Wes’s turn.
“A circular firing squad won’t help the Government out of the hole we’re in.”
Ministers who spoke to The Guardian claimed Downing Street had launched a “stop Wes” strategy only hours after the news broke of a challenge.
Another told Sky News: “It’s absolutely mental. No10 have started a fire and now they can’t put it out.”
Mr Streeting’s spokesman said the coup claims were “categorically untrue” and declared: “Wes’s focus has entirely been on cutting waiting lists for the first time in 15 years, recruiting 2,500 more GPs, and rebuilding the NHS that saved his life.”
Sir Keir’s allies have branded alleged attempts at a coup “reckless”, but his opponents have called him “hated”.
One minister said: “It’s terrible. He is hated out there. It is worse than it got under Corbyn. I don’t see how this is sustainable until May,” they added, referencing the looming elections – and the prospect of another Reform UK whitewash.
The cloak-and-dagger press carnage emerged just hours before both the PM and Mr Streeting will be publicly scrutinised.
Sir Keir will face the Commons in his weekly PMQs bout with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch – while the Health Secretary is heading for the morning round with broadcasters before the NHS Providers conference.
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Wes Streeting lands first blow in Wednesday’s Cabinet war with testy social media message
Wes Streeting has opened a day of political turmoil with a testy social media message.
Mr Streeting, in an apparent bid to look gleeful, said: “Good morning! Really looking forward to setting out our plans to modernise the NHS and reinvest billions saved from cutting bureaucracy into the frontline so we can cut waiting lists!”
The Health Secretary did not mention reports of plans to amass 50 frontbenchers in a bid to topple the Prime Minister, which his spokesman denied last night.
Shabana Mahmood forced to rule out her own leadership plans – as Labour peer urges her to stop the boats instead
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood rejected suggestions she too had plans for a leadership bid, calling reports “nonsense” and saying there was “clearly one big No10 operation” underway to shore up the Prime Minister’s position.
Then, on BBC Newsnight, Blue Labour chief Lord Glasman said she was “the only one of really genuine quality of the whole lot” around the Cabinet table.
The peer added: “But she’s got a job to do… She’s got to stop the boats, she’s got to sort out the prisons.
“So at the moment, I’m not in favour of any challenge to the Prime Minister.”
EXPLAINED: How many MPs would Wes Streeting need to trigger a leadership contest?
Under Labour’s party rules, 20 per cent of the Parliamentary Labour Party would need to back a rival candidate to trigger a formal leadership contest.
In the current PLP, that amounts to 81 MPs.
With Wes Streeting reportedly helming a 50-strong army of frontbenchers, just 31 more would need to back him to kick off a coup.
As reported earlier, Mr Streeting’s spokesman insists the coup claims are “categorically untrue”.
“Wes’s focus has entirely been on cutting waiting lists for the first time in 15 years, recruiting 2,500 more GPs, and rebuilding the NHS that saved his life,” he said.
‘It’s NOT sustainable until May!’ Labour braces for ANOTHER local elections drubbing as war breaks out in No10
PICTURED: Nigel Farage and Sarah Pochin celebrate after she won the Runcorn & Helsby by-election on May 1, 2025
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PA
Labour sources were quick to voice their fears of another local elections drubbing last night as reports filtered through of turmoil at the very top of Government.
One senior Labour MP told the BBC: “It’s all very well to say wait for the locals, but that’s my activist base I’m sending into the gunfire. I can’t lose all my councillors.”
Another Labour source said: “The list of reasons for people to move after the Budget are growing by the day… If Wes is brave and moves he may well be rewarded by being prime minister by Christmas.”
One minister had earlier described their own PM as “hated”.
There are currently 176 days until the locals.
But right now, Nigel Farage’s surging Reform UK are riding high in the polls.
Fresh data from Opinium revealed that a third of Britons would vote Reform – with Labour (20 per cent), the Tories (17 per cent), the Lib Dems (12 per cent) and the Greens (11 per cent) either stagnant or backsliding.
Tories delight as internal Labour feud turns public
Robert Jenrick last night poured scorn on the news of a war inside No10, joining a slew of Tory frontbenchers in doing so.
“This Government is a total joke,” he raged. “We have a weak Prime Minister who’s a hostage to his MPs. Meanwhile there’s rising unemployment, flatlining growth, NHS strikes, open borders, prisoners walking free… Get a grip.”
Mr Jenrick went on to tell GB News: “There’s all of these challenges facing the country right now, huge challenges.
“And yet they’re going to be distracted now for weeks, maybe months.
“What is going to be six months now of speculation leading up to the local elections is the last thing the country needs when we want actually some leadership at the moment.”
His Shadow Cabinet colleague Andrew Bowie, responding to reports of the feud, jabbed: “Honestly, guys, it took us 13 years to get to this stage…”
RECAP: Keir Starmer ‘already fighting leadership election’ as PM’s allies goad rivals to mount challenge
The Times reported last night that Sir Keir Starmer was now privately vowing to fight off any challenge from Labour rivals looking to replace him as Prime Minister.
The PM, who is expected to face a drubbing in May, is preparing for pressure to mount after Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s tax-hiking Budget on November 26.
No10 is said to have now gone into “full bunker mode”, with critics claiming the Prime Minister’s allies have ramped up briefings against his rivals.
However, Sir Keir’s allies told The Times he will not resign in the event of any attempt to remove him and would contest any leadership contest triggered by Labour MPs.
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