Overview
- Several cabinet ministers have privately pressed Keir Starmer to remove Wes Streeting, accusing him of breaching collective responsibility and positioning for the leadership, according to The Times.
- Streeting’s allies dismissed the briefings as “incredibly stupid,” citing NHS gains such as a sharp fall in waiting lists and faster ambulance response times, while No 10 said he is doing a “great job” and is a “key player.”
- At a political cabinet earlier in the week, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander urged colleagues to form a “praetorian guard” around the prime minister, a meeting some attendees described as emotional.
- The tensions come after a series of government reversals, including confirming digital ID checks will be voluntary, alongside persistently poor polling that has unsettled Labour MPs.
- Accounts of the top team depict three camps ahead of May’s local elections, and Starmer has warned that any move against him would create “utter chaos” and risk aiding Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.