Sir Keir Starmer used Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday 12 November to say he has never authorised attacks on cabinet colleagues and that any such briefings are unacceptable. Pressed by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch on whether he retained full confidence in his Downing Street chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, No 10 later stated that the prime minister does have confidence in him.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting rejected suggestions he is preparing a leadership bid, describing the claims as self‑defeating and urging that those responsible for the briefings be removed. Speaking at an NHS conference in Manchester, he said he would fight alongside the prime minister against any move to oust him and criticised what he called a “toxic” culture around No 10.
Following PMQs, Downing Street reiterated that the prime minister has full confidence in McSweeney and said any unauthorised briefings would be dealt with. Officials also indicated that some comments about Streeting being on manoeuvres were attributed to sources outside No 10, though they did not provide further detail.
At the despatch box, Badenoch argued that the prime minister had lost control of his government and questioned him directly about McSweeney’s role in the culture of No 10. Badenoch is the Conservative Party leader, elected in November 2024, and now leads the opposition.
Supporters of the prime minister mounted a defensive operation via late‑night briefings setting out that he would resist any leadership challenge, potentially after the 26 November Budget. Allies warned that removing a sitting prime minister could unsettle markets and strain international relationships.
Process matters here. Under Labour Party rules, a challenger must secure nominations from 20% of Labour MPs to trigger a ballot; the incumbent appears on the ballot automatically. On current PLP numbers, that is roughly 81 MPs.
Names circulated in media speculation include Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. Streeting has publicly ruled himself out and called for discipline from those circulating rumours.
For the civil service and the Treasury, the timing is sensitive. The Budget is set for Wednesday 26 November and the Office for Budget Responsibility has been commissioned to deliver its forecast. Disruption at this stage risks complicating final sign‑off on tax and spending decisions.
Reaction within Labour ranged from condemnation of the briefings to frustration at their timing. Business minister Sir Chris Bryant called them “plain daft”, while Bassetlaw MP Jo White said those stoking the row were “stirring the pot” and that colleagues were “not having it”. Others described the episode as badly handled.
Policy Wire analysis: The episode highlights a governance risk as much as a political one: anonymous briefings around a fiscal event blur the boundary between party and government and absorb bandwidth needed for Budget delivery. Given Labour’s 20% nomination threshold, any serious move against the leader would require coordinated parliamentary support rather than rumour. The immediate test is operational-maintaining budget discipline to 26 November-before any party management questions return.