Ministers urge PM to sack whoever was behind anonymous briefings

Sir Keir Starmer is under pressure from senior ministers to sack whoever was behind briefings suggesting the Prime Minister is facing a leadership challenge.

Both Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Health Secretary Wes Streeting had been named as potential challengers in the anonymous briefings, and both are now calling for the person responsible to be found and fired.

It comes as Sir Keir apologised to Mr Streeting for the incident, which the Prime Minister is said to be 'incandescent' about. The episode has increased pressure on the Prime Minister's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who is seen by many, including senior officials, as ultimately responsible for the briefings and the overall culture within No. 10.

'Morgan is a proxy for Keir,' one Number 10 aide told the BBC. 'They are coming for Morgan because they want to get Keir. This isn't a parliamentary party war; it's a Labour elite contest.'

Ministers Respond

Both Mr Streeting and Mr Miliband have stopped short of publicly condemning Mr McSweeney, and Mr Streeting made a point of praising his role in Labour's general election win on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Mr Streeting dismissed concerns over Mr McSweeney's future, calling it 'silly Westminster soap opera stuff' and 'yesterday's news.'

Mr Miliband said it had been a 'poor couple of days,' adding: 'We've got to figure out the lessons of this episode' and 'this is not where the focus should be.'

He said he was 'positive' the Prime Minister would want to know who the anonymous briefer was and 'get rid of them if he can find out.'

'[Starmer] hates it when news is leaked, but he detests it when cabinet colleagues are briefed against,' Mr Miliband said. ''If he hates it, why can't he avoid it?' people listening to this show might wonder. The truth is, these things do happen. Noises are everywhere, and you may not know where they are coming from.'

Some Labour MPs have also discussed Mr Miliband's name as another potential challenger. When asked whether he would rule out a return as Labour leader, he replied: 'Yes. I had the perfect inoculation... against wanting to be the leader of the Labour Party, which is to say that I was in charge of the Labour Party from 2010 to 2015. That chapter is ended, and I've got the T-shirt.'

Number 10 Under Pressure

Sir Keir apologised to Mr Streeting in a brief phone call on Wednesday evening, but supporters of the Health Secretary are reportedly irritated that briefings against him have continued. Many around the Health Secretary say that 'this kind of briefing culture followed Keir Starmer from opposition to government.'

There is a diminishing number of advisers who worked with Sir Keir in opposition and are now working for him. Mr McSweeney is one of them, and the most senior. He has been asked for comment and has not replied.

At Prime Minister's Questions, Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch said Sir Keir had 'lost control of his government' and 'The British people's trust has been shattered.' She said Mr McSweeney was responsible for the No. 10 culture and asked if the Prime Minister had confidence in him.

Sir Keir replied: 'Morgan McSweeney, my staff, and I are completely focussed on serving the country. Let me be clear... I've never condoned attacks on cabinet members. The Prime Minister has never sanctioned assaults on cabinet officials.'

'Any attack on any member of my cabinet is completely intolerable,' he said, and he praised Mr Streeting for his 'excellent work.'

The Prime Minister's press secretary told reporters that the briefings against Mr Streeting had come 'from outside No. 10' and that the Prime Minister had 'utter confidence' in Mr McSweeney. The spokesperson refused to comment on whether there was a leak probe, but did say that leaks would be 'dealt with.'