Overview
- Senior No 10 aides mounted late‑night briefings insisting Keir Starmer would fight any leadership bid and calling an attempt to remove him a reckless step.
- Reports cited No 10 claims that Wes Streeting had about 50 frontbenchers ready to resign if the budget lands badly, which the health secretary rejected as categorically untrue and urged Starmer to sack the briefers.
- Streeting dismissed the rumors as self‑defeating, likened them to conspiracy theories, and said he supports the prime minister rather than seeking his resignation.
- Speculation is tied to Labour’s slide in polls and unease about possible tax rises in the 26 November budget, with May local elections viewed as another potential pressure point.
- Party rules require nominations from 20% of Labour MPs (around 80–81) to trigger a contest, and early market moves saw UK government bonds underperform and the pound slip on the political noise.