Sir Keir Starmer’s own supporters have conceded the Prime Minister lacks the political capital to dismiss Wes Streeting following a Cabinet revolt against the Health Secretary.
One ally to the PM told the Financial Times: “I don’t think he can sack Wes. I don’t think he has the strength to sack anyone right now”, adding: “He’s too weak.”
The damning verdict from within the PM’s inner circle came after Mr Streeting defied colleagues by unilaterally publishing his private correspondence with disgraced peer Peter Mandelson on Monday evening.
Another ally to the Prime Minister warned that removing the Health Secretary would “just uncork even more political chaos of the kind we’re trying to avoid”.
The admission underscores how severely the Mandelson affair has damaged Sir Keir’s authority within his own party.
Mr Streeting’s decision to release a transcript of his exchanges with Lord Mandelson came without seeking prior approval from Downing Street or the Cabinet Office.
The messages, spanning August 2024 to October 2025, contained indiscreet remarks, including his complaint the Government had “no growth strategy at all” and his fear he would be “toast” at the next general election.
One Cabinet source offered a withering assessment of the Health Secretary’s actions: “It’s classic Wes. P***es off everyone to survive the day.”
Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he will ‘fight on’
|
PA
Mr Streeting’s allies maintain he acted in response to briefings from leadership rivals suggesting his friendship with Lord Mandelson would prove fatal to his ambitions.
“Starmer’s people were running round telling everyone Wes was compromised by the emails,” one said.
“So what’s he supposed to do? Just sit back and take it?”
Scotland Yard issued a warning on Tuesday that ministers should refrain from releasing their own correspondence with the peer, cautioning it could compromise their investigation into allegations of misconduct in public office.
The Cabinet Office similarly instructed Government members not to share material outside a formal process expected to take weeks or months.
A spokesman for Mr Streeting described claims of an imminent leadership challenge as “categorically not true”.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s spokesman has denied the rumours
|
POOLOne ally told The Guardian: “Nothing has changed. There was a big performance of unity yesterday but Keir is no safer than he was yesterday.”
The same source delivered a brutal assessment: “At this point, Keir is a zombie. He is in the Theresa May phase of his leadership.”
MPs close to Mr Streeting reportedly believe he must move swiftly after the Gorton and Denton by-election on February 26 to pre-empt any potential challenge from Angela Rayner.
Sir Keir faces Prime Minister’s Questions today, having pledged he will “never walk away” from his mandate and vowed to lead Labour into the next general election.
Morgan McSweeney has resigned | GETTY
The PM criticised internal party feuding and insisted the political “turmoil” would not deter him after Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar called for his resignation.
At Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Sir Keir thanked ministers for their public displays of support and declared his top team “strong and united”.
Yet his authority remains precarious amid continuing fallout from the Mandelson scandal.
The PM is pressing ahead with a shake-up of his Downing Street operation, with chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and communications chief Tim Allan already having departed as Sir Keir attempts to recover from a bruising start to 2026.