Wes Streeting Denies Claims of Plot to Replace Starmer
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has pushed back hard against claims he’s plotting to replace Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, calling the briefings against him “self-defeating nonsense” and urging Starmer to sack whoever is behind them.
The rumours exploded late Tuesday, with reports suggesting Downing Street insiders feared a leadership challenge from Streeting after the upcoming Budget or local elections. The health secretary, however, dismissed the idea completely. Speaking to both the BBC and Sky News, he said he could “not see any circumstances under which I would do that to our prime minister,” adding that the accusations were “totally self-defeating..., not least because it’s not true.”
Streeting didn’t hold back in criticising what he called a “toxic culture” inside No 10. He said Lucy Powell, Labour’s recently elected deputy leader, was “right about the culture of No 10,” and joked that he’d like to “commend the briefer on at least picking on one of the men instead of the women.”
Streeting, who was visibly irritated by the speculation, accused some in No 10 of undermining their own team: “I do think that trying to kneecap one of your own when they’re out delivering the change we promised is self-defeating and self-destructive behaviour.”
He also poked fun at the conspiracy-style rumours, quipping that “whoever’s been briefing this has been watching too much Celebrity Traitors – and this is just about the worst attack on a faithful since Joe Marler was kicked out and banished in the final.”
Asked if he would demand Starmer’s resignation after the Budget, Streeting replied with sarcasm: “Yes, and nor did I shoot JFK. I don’t know where Lord Lucan is, had nothing to do with Shergar, and I do think that the US did manage to do the moon landings.”
He urged Starmer to “find and sack” the culprits behind the anonymous briefings, though added he didn’t expect the prime minister to “waste loads of time on this.” A spokesperson for Streeting also denied reports that he had dozens of MPs lined up to support him in a challenge.
The row has deepened tensions at the top of government, with the conflict coming just 17 months after Labour’s landslide election win. Despite that victory, Starmer’s approval ratings have slipped, and senior figures worry the unrest could damage the party ahead of next year’s local and devolved elections.
Meanwhile, Starmer’s allies have reportedly moved to shut down any talk of a contest, calling such speculation “reckless” and warning it could unsettle financial markets and damage relations with international partners. One senior minister insisted, “This is not a Hartlepool moment,” adding that “It'd be madness to run against him after 17 months." As one backbench MP put it, “We’re not having it. They’re barking up the wrong tree, briefing against Wes.”
For now, Streeting seems determined to draw a line under the chaos. “These are things that distract from our ability to get across the message of the change we're making, the difference we're making on things that voters actually care about.”
