The prime minister’s survival is probably now in the hands of his former deputy, Angela Rayner.
Now that she has been absolved of wrongdoing by HMRC, his get-out-of-jail is to offer her the health job vacated by Streeting or perhaps any job she wants.
She is strong enough to dictate terms because she represents a large part of the parliamentary Labour Party that wants him out. So if she throws him a lifeline, they may too.
I am imagining the conversation in which Rayner says to the PM that she fancies being Chancellor of the Exchequer and she is sure Rachel Reeves would excel as health secretary.
This is currently all the stuff of fiction, except that whether Rayner agrees to take any job from Starmer is potentially life or death for him.
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