Home Secretary backs Starmer amid calls for PM to 'step aside' following fierce in-fighting at the top of government
Mahmood called for calm on Sunday, hours after former Deputy PM Angela Rayner branded in-fighting "arrogant tittle tattle".
The Home Secretary was seen to back Sir Keir Starmer on Sunday amid calls for him to 'step aside' following fierce government in-fighting.
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Shabina Mahmood insisted Sir Keir Starmer should not be thinking about standing aside amid the ongoing turmoil at the top of Government - despite widespread calls to that effect.
In her first interview since stepping back as Deputy PM over her failure to pay a £40,000 tax surcharge on a Hove flat purchase, Angela Rayner was seen to second Ms Mahmood's call.
Ms Rayner was seen to remind her Labour colleagues of their focus in a plea for party unity on Sunday - highlighting the need to deliver for Britain after 14 years of Tory rule over what she described as 'tittle tattle'.
The in-fighting comes amid apparent briefings from inside Number 10 against Health Secretary Wes Streeting, with suggestions emerging earlier this week of his had ambitions to overthrow the PM.
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It comes as Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp insisted Labour are “fighting like rats in a sack” over Starmer's leadership of the party.
He claimed the Tories have moved on from party divisions, telling Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: “The Labour Party are unable to do that. They are fighting like rats in a sack.
“You’ve got Keir Starmer briefing against Wes Streeting. You’ve got Angela Rayner sharpening the knives in the background.
“Goodness knows what Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell are both up to.“Instead of serving the national interest, the Labour Government are fighting each other just weeks away from a Budget that will unleash enormous tax rises on this country that will drive up unemployment even further.”
Asked on Sunday whether the Prime Minister needed to think again about his leadership, Ms Mahmood stood firm.
“No. Keir Starmer is our Prime Minister. We won an election just under a year-and-a-half or so ago, when people thought that we would not win an election for maybe a generation or more.
“I have no time for these things that people say or brief off the record, or any of this, frankly, Westminster bubble tittle-tattle.”
Ms Mahmood added: “If people have things to say, they should have the courage of their convictions and say so publicly, and that is not what is happening.
“I think what happened at the beginning of this week was – with all of those anonymous briefings – unedifying and deeply embarrassing for everyone concerned.”