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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was forced on Wednesday to address reports that his rivals within the Labor Party are plotting to take over the leadership of the Labor Party, just two weeks before he is due to unveil a government budget that could further worsen his already dismal poll numbers.
British news outlets reported late Tuesday that Mr Starmer’s allies said his job could be under immediate threat, naming Health Secretary Wes Streeting as a challenger whose “ambitions” are viewed with “particular suspicion”. Those allies explained that Mr Starmer intends to fight any challenges to his leadership.
Mr Street dismissed the report as “self-defeating nonsense”, telling British media: “I can’t imagine a situation in which I would do that to a prime minister.” He accused those in charge of the press conference, a claim disseminated in the press, of trying to “bring him to his knees”.
By Wednesday afternoon, what might have remained petty political gossip had snowballed into a full-blown crisis. Mr Starmer was accused by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch of presiding over a “toxic” culture in Downing Street, and was forced to address reports that his allies were holding briefings to senior government officials.
Mr Starmer told parliament he did not authorize negative interviews against colleagues. “I appointed them to the position because they are the best people to do the job,” he said. “Any attack on my ministers is completely unacceptable.”
The latest crisis to hit the government comes ahead of the Budget on November 26, when Labor is expected to break a key election promise by raising the basic rate of income tax for the first time in half a century to plug a fiscal black hole.
Finance Minister Rachel Reeves has suggested both tax increases and spending cuts are possible as she lays out plans for the coming year to reduce government debt. That would likely spur further attacks from Nigel Farage, the upstart anti-immigration Reform UK party that has been leading Labor in national opinion polls for months.
Starmer’s popularity plummeted shortly after Labor won a landslide victory in the July 2024 general election. Pollster YouGov said this month that just 17% of Britons approve of Starmer’s job as prime minister, while 73% disapprove.
The decision by Mr Starmer’s allies to brief Mr Streeting, the minister tasked with fixing Britain’s depleted National Health Service, left many Labor politicians confused and blindsided and raised questions about the Prime Minister’s management in Downing Street.
“People are confused,” one Labor MP told CNN on condition of anonymity. “No one fully understands where this explanation came from.”
Lawmakers are also confused by the timing of the press conference. Although Starmer has had a rocky first 16 months in office, making him one of the most unpopular British prime ministers in history, Labor MPs have previously suggested that he will not face a serious leadership challenge until after local elections in May 2026, giving the government time to reverse its slide in the polls.
However, Tuesday night’s press conference raised the possibility that Mr Starmer may no longer be able to provide leadership after the budget is passed.
Mr Street denied he was seeking to challenge Labor’s leadership, but on Tuesday a ‘Wes for Leader’ website was launched. CNN has reached out to Streeting’s office for comment.
But it will be difficult to oust Labor leaders. That’s because a challenger needs the support of 20% of party MPs, meaning 80 MPs would need to agree on an alternative candidate.
