Keir Starmer, facing political turbulence, will convene his Cabinet today after narrowly avoiding a leadership challenge. Despite recent tensions, his team decided to retain him, at least for the time being.
The Prime Minister is set to meet with top ministers who, following the resignation of his chief aide due to the Mandelson scandal, maintained a stony silence for over a day. It was only after Anas Sarwar, leader of Scottish Labour, called for his resignation that support started to coalesce around Starmer. Speculation abounds regarding any deals or compromises he may have struck to secure his position.
Ed Miliband suggested earlier today that Starmer might have agreed to shift leftward in a bid to retain power, highlighting a focus on bridging the ‘class divide.’ There is mounting pressure from MPs for the government to increase taxes to fund public services and benefits more generously.
Wes Streeting, among those joining the Cabinet meeting, has been accused by insiders at No. 10 of orchestrating the attempted coup.
In a related development, the Health Secretary publicly released a series of messages with Mandelson, criticizing the government’s ‘no growth’ policy. However, Starmer appears too vulnerable to dismiss him.
The Health Secretary also released a tranche of messages with Mandelson yesterday that showed he condemned his government’s ‘no growth’ strategy – but Sir Keir appears too weak to sack him.
Many in Labour still believe the PM is doomed, with the government having been forced to commit to releasing far more damaging internal messages with Mandelson.
He is facing losing his Cabinet Secretary Chris Wormald in the coming days, after the departure of right-hand man Morgan McSweeney and communications chief Tim Allan.
Wounded Keir Starmer will assemble his Cabinet today after they ‘looked over the precipice’ and decided against ousting him – for now
Among those at Cabinet today was Wes Streeting (pictured with Science Secretary Liz Kendall), who has been accused by No10 insiders of being behind the coup plot
Deputy PM David Lammy seemed in high spirits this morning despite the miserable state of the government
Nick Thomas-Symonds (left) and Darren Jones (right) were among the ministers who initially stayed quiet amid the mounting threat to the PM. Aides insisted they were busy working on policy issues
Ministers only finally rallied round after Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar (pictured) demanded Sir Keir’s resignation
The party is fighting to hang on in the by-election for Gorton & Denton – a traditionally safe seat – on February 26.
And local elections in May are widely expected to be a bloodbath, with the looming catastrophe in Scotland thought to have sparked Mr Sarwar’s dramatic assassination bid.
Angela Rayner is regarded as on manoeuvres for the leadership, but backed the PM to continue yesterday. She has still not resolved issues with HMRC over the unpaid stamp duty bill that forced her resignation as Deputy PM last September.
Unlike yesterday, Downing Street managed to persuade a Cabinet minister to make the government’s case in broadcast studios this morning.
In a damning assessment of Sir Keir’s first 18 months in power, Mr Miliband said this crisis ‘has got to be a moment of change’ and the government needs a ‘much greater clarity of purpose’.
But the Net Zero Secretary urged MPs to ‘moveon.org’, telling BBC Breakfast: ‘The Labour Party as a whole looked over the precipice and thought the right thing to do is to support our leader’.
He said: ‘In a sense, yesterday was a moment of peril for the Prime Minister. I make no bones about that.
‘But, as a collective body, the Cabinet, the Labour Party looked at the alternatives of going down this road of a chaotic leadership election, trying to depose a prime minister, and they said ‘no, that’s not for us’.’
In a signal that Sir Keir has bowed to MPs demanding more left-wing policy platform, Mr Miliband told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘I tell you what angers Keir the most – it’s class. It’s the class divides…
‘He exists to change that… I absolutely dispute the idea he’s not somebody driven by burning passion about the injustices our country faces and how we need to change them.
‘We need more of that. He knows we need more of that. I think we’re going to see more of that.’
Mr Miliband said the idea that meant ‘class war’ was ‘balderdash’.
‘So many people from working class backgrounds are looked down upon in our country, are held back in our country,’ he said.
‘Whether it’s from not getting an apprenticeship, not being able to rise up… Keir is about changing that. Not just social mobility for a few, but recognition for everybody, a decent life for everybody.’
Mr Miliband said voters want ‘boldness in our answers’ that ‘meet the scale of what we are facing’.
‘One of the big frustrations… Rachel has raised taxes on the wealthy and business – some people don’t like that – in order that we can invest in the future, in public services – including energy in health, in education,’ he said.
Mr Miliband said he was ‘not going to run’ for the Labour leadership in any potential contest.
It was put to him that his message sounded a bit like a leadership pitch, to which he replied: ‘Absolute baloney.’
Asked whether he would rule out running, the Energy Secretary told Sky News: ‘I’m not running for the leadership, no.’
Asked whether he would rule out running rather than saying he was not currently running, he said: ‘Yes, yes, I’m not going to run.’
A weary Sir Keir was seen heading back to his No10 bunker in a government car last night after the chaotic day.
Mr Sarwar, once an ally of Sir Keir, said there had been ‘too many mistakes’ in Downing Street.
‘I have to be honest about failure wherever I see it,’ he said. ‘The distraction has to end, the leadership has to change.’
Mr Sarwar told the PM of his move in advance, triggering panic in No10 and sparking a major rescue operation.
One Labour source said ministers were told to voice their support for the PM by the end of the day or face the sack.
Downing Street insiders accused Mr Streeting of being in league with Mr Sarwar, in a plot likened to the 2009 attempt to oust Gordon Brown.
That saw James Purnell quit Cabinet but the heir apparent David Miliband not follow suit, largely because Mandelson marshalled ministers behind Mr Brown.
Mr Streeting’s spokesman told the Times: ‘Wes did not ask Anas to do this, he did not co-ordinate with Anas on this. Anas is the leader of the Scottish Labour Party, he is his own man, and Wes has the highest respect for him.
‘At the same time as Wes was in an interview saying that Keir needed a chance to set out his case and his plan, No 10 were briefing that Wes had told Anas Sarwar to make his statement. This is the problem.’
Sir Keir was already reeling from the departure of Mr McSweeney on Sunday, who was followed out of the door by the No10 communications director yesterday morning.
John Healey (left) was mooted as a potential caretaker replacement for Sir Keir. Peter Kyle, right, was also at Cabinet
In a damning assessment of Sir Keir’s first 18 months in power, Ed Miliband said this crisis ‘has got to be a moment of change’ and the government needs a ‘much greater clarity of purpose’
Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris is on the brink of joining the Downing Street exodus – just a year after Sir Keir appointed him.
Private discussions were held about the possibility of replacing Sir Keir with an interim leader such as Defence Secretary John Healey.
But, with leadership rivals not ready to make their move and financial markets wobbling over the prospect of a chaotic contest, they finally bowed to No 10’s demands to issue public statements of support.
In a belated flurry of posts on social media, which began as Mr Sarwar got to his feet, every member of the Cabinet gave the Prime Minister their broad support.
And in a defiant address to Labour MPs later, Sir Keir vowed to battle on, saying: ‘Every fight I’ve ever been in, I have won.’
