Sir Keir Starmer is facing calls from cabinet ministers to sack Wes Streeting for disloyalty amid deepening splits in his top team.
Ministers are increasingly frustrated by Streeting’s forthright public pronouncements and are privately accusing him of putting his leadership ambitions before the party.
One cabinet minister said Starmer needed to learn from Kemi Badenoch, who this week sacked Robert Jenrick in a pre-emptive strike. They said of Streeting: “What he’s doing is so obvious, he is repeatedly breaching collective responsibility, he is attacking No 10, he is undermining all of us. The [parliamentary Labour Party] don’t like what he is doing, they would back [the prime minister] if he acted.”
Another cabinet minister said the behaviour of Streeting’s allies was “wild”. “Everyone knows he has MPs from the 2024 intake telling anyone who’ll listen that it’s time to get rid of Keir and make Wes PM instead,” they said. “It’s wild behaviour. If he doesn’t bring it to a head, he’ll have to be brought to heel.”
Will Keir Starmer hold on to power in 2026
A third cabinet minister said: “Wes is exactly the same as he was when he was 18 … If he doesn’t become Labour prime minister he will tell himself his entire life has been a failure. Everything he’s doing now is in pursuit of that aim. Has he been pushing the boundary of what’s acceptable? Yes.”
A spokesman for Streeting said: “It’s a real shame that Keir’s so-called allies are briefing against Wes yet again, when they should be talking about the second biggest fall in waiting lists in 15 years, and ambulances arriving 15 minutes faster with Labour.
“Given Reform and the Tories are at each other’s throats right now this briefing is also incredibly stupid. Wes is delivering real change in the NHS, and is out there making the case for Keir and for Labour.”
Streeting’s spokesman said his critics should concentrate on improvements to the NHS
JORDAN PETTITT/PA
A No 10 source said Streeting was doing a “great job as health secretary” and was a “key player in the team”.
Streeting has become increasingly outspoken in voicing his concerns about the direction of the government. In November he accused Starmer of presiding over a “toxic culture” in No 10 after allies of the prime minister briefed against him. Last month he said the government risked presenting itself as the “maintenance department for the country”.
This week he made a series of interventions, arguing in one speech that the government needed to “get it right first time” after a succession of U-turns, in comments that were interpreted as an attack on Starmer by colleagues.
• Who could replace Keir Starmer as Labour leader? His rivals rated
He subsequently called for a ban on social media for under-16s during the broadcast round, going significantly further than the government’s official position.
During the cabinet meeting on Tuesday a succession of ministers rallied round Starmer. Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, said that they needed to form a “praetorian guard” around the prime minister and set aside “personal ambition”. Five other cabinet ministers also came to Starmer’s defence. Streeting did not respond.
Streeting, Rachel Reeves and Starmer at an event in Stratford in July
TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER JACK HILL
Starmer has warned that there will be “utter chaos” if MPs move against him and that it risks handing power to Nigel Farage. He is said to be concerned it would lead to turmoil in the markets and add to geopolitical instability.
The Times has been told that the cabinet is divided into three camps as Labour approaches the local elections in May, which are expected to be disastrous for the party: the prime minister’s loyalists; those who believe that only a change of leadership can save the government; and a minority keeping their cards close to their chest. One cabinet minister said after the meeting: “These people wouldn’t have been out of place on the bridge of the Titanic.”
• Mayday, mayday elections loom for Labour. Will Wes Streeting pounce?
One Labour MP concerned about the direction of the government said: “Labour MPs are becoming increasingly concerned that many of the cabinet don’t appreciate how unpopular the government is, and aren’t doing anything to change course.
“The U-turns this week have killed any post-Christmas optimism. While Keir is ultimately accountable for this, in the end the cabinet are collectively responsible. Too many of the cabinet are busy enjoying the trappings of ministerial life when they need to act and make sure our party has a future. History won’t be kind to those who buried their heads in the sand.”
A No 10 source said: “Wes is doing a great job as health secretary, delivering an 86,000 cut in waiting lists this week. While other parties turn inwards, the Labour government is getting on with delivering national renewal and Wes is a key player in the team.”