A GB News guest has ripped into “childish” staff in Downing Street after Wes Streeting emerged “strengthened” over the Government’s briefing war.
Labour is engulfed in a bitter row after Sir Keir Starmer’s allies claimed the Prime Minister’s position would be challenged by Cabinet colleagues, with the Health Secretary reportedly leading the charge.
However, the Ilford North MP refuted the claims while on the morning round, during which commentator Andy Williams said he emerged “strengthened, not weakened”.
Meanwhile, No10 has been made to appear “childish” and “not focused on the job at hand”.
Speaking on GBN Breakfast with Ellie Costello and Stephen Dixon, he added: “And actually, it’s easy to forget now, but nearly 10 million people voted for Labour 18 months ago.
“And so many of those people are going to feel incredibly let down by Downing Street focusing on all of this stuff when there are so many problems to deal with.”
Mr Williams pointed out two factors, with one of them being Sir Keir’s lack of a “strong base of support” within the parliamentary party.
“He doesn’t have, unlike previous Prime Ministers, a big cohort of MPs who are his supporters. They backed him because he was a winner and now he doesn’t look much like a winner,” he told Ellie and Stephen.
Downing Street has appeared ‘not focused at the job at hand’ as the PM falls under pressure to bin off his Chief of Staff
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GB NEWS
The backbenchers, many of whom are to the left of the PM’s politics, are “fed up with him”, Williams told the People’s Channel.
He added: “Then within the cabinet, there’s growing frustration about what they see as a lack of leadership.
“No10 has been totally chaotic. He’s lost a chief of staff, a director of communications, the director of strategy.
“People don’t feel like he has a grip on things and his popularity ratings are through the floor. So all of this is leading to people starting to ask whether they are best served by Keir Starmer being Prime Minister or should they be looking elsewhere?”
As a result, No10 are becoming “increasingly fearful” that the number of scandals running riot through senior figures of Labour could culminate in a real leadership challenge.
On Wednesday, the Labour leader apologised for an “unfortunate error” which led to him appointing donor David Kogan as the first chair of England’s new football regulator. Last week, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy offered her apologies after an investigation revealed that she failed to declare £2,900 in donations from Mr Kogan in 2020 “unknowingly”.
It came after Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy decided to not inform MPs of another migrant prisoner who had been mistakenly released by HMP Wandsworth.
A fortnight away from the Budget, Britons are also becoming increasingly wary of Labour potentially breaking its manifesto promise to not raise keys taxes, namely income tax in a bid to plug the £50billion black hole in the public purse.
Wes Streeting has emerged ‘strengthened’ by the row
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PA
Sir Keir has now turned his ire on his staff as his press secretary vowed that the PM would fight any challenge threatening to oust him.
Sources are believed to have briefed against Mr Streeting as well as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood of making moves to boot Sir Keir out of office.
After Mr Streeting adamantly denied the claims on Wednesday morning, he pointed a finger at No10’s “toxic culture” and demanded those who spread the accusation to be fired.
Pressure is mounting on Sir Keir to sack his right-hand man Morgan McSweeney from his Chief of Staff role, who has been widely lauded as the brains behind Labour’s mammoth landslide at the polls.