'The season finale of the Traitors is over': Streeting says he has 'confidence' in PM's chief of staff over briefings row
Wes Streeting told LBC today that he has ‘confidence’ in the Prime Minister’s chief of staff after anonymous Downing Street sources claimed he was plotting a bid for the Labour leadership.
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Mr Streeting said that he believes he and Sir Keir Starmer are in the ‘same boat’ over the leadership row that emerged this week, and he described it as a ‘total distraction’.
“The season finale of the Traitors is over,” Mr Streeting joked with Nick Ferrari during a phone-in.
He added: "I think the Prime Minister and I are both in the same boat here of being extremely frustrated because this is a total distraction."
Asked if he had confidence in Mr McSweeney, the Health Secretary said: "Of course I do."
He described the events of this week as ‘quite bizarre.’
Asked if he wanted to be PM ‘one day’ Mr Streeting said “I’m very happy to be doing the job I’m currently doing.”
But he added “if you don’t back yourself who will.”
Read more: Reeves scraps proposed income tax hike in seismic u-turn ahead of Budget
Sir Keir Starmer has faced calls to sack his top adviser, Morgan McSweeney, over anonymous briefings from Downing Street sources claiming Health Secretary Mr Streeting was plotting a bid for the Labour leadership.
But sources who have spoken to Mr McSweeney yesterday said he would remain in his post.
They said: “He’s done absolutely nothing wrong. He’s not going anywhere.”
They added: “I can categorically say he was not involved indirectly or directly.”
Earlier, Sir Keir had thrown his weight behind his long-standing ally, saying he “of course” retained full confidence in Mr McSweeney.
During a visit to North Wales, the Prime Minister told reporters: “I have been assured it didn’t come from Downing Street but I have been equally clear that whether it is this case or any other, I intend to deal with it.”
Asked if he would sack those responsible, Sir Keir replied: “I will absolutely deal with anybody responsible for briefing against ministers, Cabinet ministers or any other ministers.
“I have always said that is the standard that I expect, and that is the standard that I will enforce.”
Mr Streeting, meanwhile, refused to revisit “yesterday’s news” after a tumultuous day in which he criticised the “toxic” culture in Downing Street.
Saying he did not care if the Prime Minister was investigating the source of the briefing against him, the Health Secretary said: “I don’t think voters give two monkeys about what on earth is going on in the sort of Westminster village soap opera.
“What they do care about is, if they’re on an NHS waiting list, are we getting them down?”
Mr McSweeney has been blamed by some within Labour for the fallout from the attacks on Mr Streeting, which were an apparent ploy to warn off potential leadership contenders.
On Wednesday, Mr Streeting denied the claims he could launch a leadership challenge, called for anyone behind the “juvenile” briefing to be sacked, and said they pointed to a “toxic culture” in Sir Keir’s administration.
The Labour leader moved to smooth relations with Mr Streeting by apologising to him in a brief chat the same evening, their first since the hostilities erupted.
Cabinet colleague Ed Miliband, another target of this week’s briefing war, noted that briefing is a “longstanding aspect” of politics and said there was “lots and lots of briefing” under Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
He ruled out any suggestion he was among those jostling to replace Sir Keir as Labour leader, telling BBC Breakfast: “I had the best inoculation technique against wanting to be leader of the Labour Party, because I was leader of the Labour Party between 2010 and 2015.”
In another headache for the Prime Minister, the Conservatives have called for an investigation into whether his communications chief, Tim Allan, should be allowed to hold shares in a lobbying firm and discuss politics with one of its consultants.
A No 10 spokesman said a rigorous process had been followed over Mr Allan’s appointment in September.
It is understood that Mr Allan has waived his rights to dividends and decision-making from his shares in the company, and will not be involved in the business’s operations while in Government.
The unrest at the top of the party comes as Labour’s poll ratings have plummeted since Sir Keir delivered a landslide general election victory in July 2024.
It precedes Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s November 26 budget, in which the party could rip up its manifesto promise not to increase income tax, and what MPs fear could be a bloodbath in elections next May in English councils and the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments.