Starmer faces leadership talk before 26 Nov Budget

Four hundred and ninety-six days after Sir Keir Starmer’s landslide, Westminster woke to a very different mood. On the morning media round, Health Secretary Wes Streeting alleged a “toxic culture” and sexism in No 10, and said some officials should go - while insisting he is not plotting to replace the prime minister. He was reacting to late‑night briefings that Sir Keir would fight any challenge to his leadership, with Streeting named in some of those whispers. Streeting has served as Health Secretary since July 2024, according to GOV.UK.

You might be asking why all this is erupting now. There’s a long build‑up and a short fuse. The build‑up is months of poor polling and bruising conversations on the doorstep. The short fuse was No 10 allies telling journalists the PM would “stand and fight” - a message meant to steady nerves that instead put leadership talk on loudspeaker.

Quick explainer for your toolkit: in Westminster, a “briefing” usually means an unattributed conversation with reporters that sets out a line without a named source. It’s less formal than a press release and more directional than a leak. Briefings can calm a party by showing grip - or backfire by advertising internal panic.

Many Labour MPs had pencilled in May - after local and devolved elections - as the moment of maximum danger. But the polling gloom and a potentially contentious Autumn Budget have pulled that timeline forward. One MP, thinking about members who knock doors every weekend, told colleagues they can’t “send their activist base into the gunfire” and risk losing their councillors just to wait for spring.

Naming Streeting as a would‑be challenger poured petrol on the row. Through the morning he pledged loyalty to Starmer while condemning the wider Downing Street operation. That is a tricky balance: MPs now want to know whether the prime minister authorised last night’s briefings, tolerated them, or had no idea they were happening.

This isn’t only about one name. People close to Starmer also watch Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, Ed Miliband at energy, and Lucy Powell, Labour’s newly elected deputy leader. Mahmood moved to the Home Office in September, as recorded by GOV.UK. Powell won the deputy leadership on 25 October after Angela Rayner’s resignation - reported by Sky News and the Guardian - a result not seen as No 10’s preferred outcome. Miliband remains energy secretary. These posts matter because authority inside a party rests not just on popularity, but on who holds which levers.

Has the briefing war made Starmer safer or weaker? Judging by the messages flying round Labour this morning, weaker. Several ministers called the tactic “pathetic” or “crazy”. A senior figure complained that No 10 had normalised a taboo by airing leadership talk at all. One MP likened it to blasting friendly fire at people guarding the bunker. Even those who want calm admit the damage is done for now.

Across the aisle, the opposition did what oppositions do. At Prime Minister’s Questions, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch pressed the point. Starmer told MPs the briefings were “completely unacceptable”, but one minister called that response “tone deaf” in private. Badenoch’s leadership was confirmed last year by AP - and she’s using PMQs to sharpen contrasts.

How does Labour actually change leader? Unlike the Conservatives, Labour doesn’t have a quick letters‑and‑vote mechanism among MPs. A challenger needs formal nominations to reach a ballot and the party machine then sets a timetable. In other words, it takes time, signatures and momentum. That’s why talk of “fighting” a challenge is meant to deter rivals as much as reassure loyalists.

What to watch over the next fortnight. First, do any No 10 officials depart after the sexism and culture claims? Second, do Starmer and Streeting meet to reset relations? Third, the Budget: the Treasury says the Autumn Budget is on Wednesday 26 November, and Chancellor Rachel Reeves has flagged a tight grip on spending. Keep an eye on how she funds priorities while sticking to fiscal rules - Reuters has the date.

What this means for you if you’re studying or teaching politics: internal rows shape what goes into a Budget and how it lands. A distracted government struggles to sell tough choices, and markets notice drift. Compare today’s messages with what is announced on 26 November; you’ll see how pressure inside a party can change language, tone and even policy detail.

Media literacy tip to end on: whenever you read “allies say…”, ask who benefits from that line and what decision is coming up. With two weeks until the Budget, timing explains a lot of the noise. Watch whether the language cools - or whether more names are pulled in. That will tell us if this was a wobble or the start of something bigger.