Sir Keir Starmer looks set to cling on as Prime Minister for a few more weeks at least, after a dramatic day which ended with the Cabinet closing ranks around their leader to see off an attempt to trigger a coup.
Still reeling from the loss of his long-time advisor Morgan McSweeney on Sunday, the Prime Minister was hit by a fresh blow on Monday morning with the resignation of his director of communications Tim Allan who had been in post for just six months.
His short, curt resignation statement said: “I have decided to stand down to allow a new No10 team to be built. I wish the PM and his team every success.”
The official line from Number Ten on Monday morning was that the Prime Minister remained “upbeat and confident” with Starmer’s team hoping the fall out over the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador would subside now that McSweeney had fallen on his sword.
Private discussions about who should be caretaker leader
Addressing No 10 staff Starmer said they were united by a “driving purpose” of “public duty”.
“I have been absolutely clear that I regret the decision that I made to appoint Peter Mandelson. And I’ve apologised to the victims which is the right thing to do,” he said.
But within hours, Starmer suffered the ignominy of his “friend” Scottish Leader Anas Sarwar calling for him to quit in an emergency press conference,
Amid the chaos, one senior Labour source said: “Did you see the first episode of the new Lord of the Flies last night? When they ended up setting fire to half the island?”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar calling on Sir Keir Starmer to resign as Prime Minister. Robert Perry/PA WireSo far, the silence from the Cabinet had been deafening. Apart from off-record messages of support and some reassuring comments from work and pensions secreatry Pat McFadden, no one has been on the airwaves making the case for Starmer.
The i Paper was told the Cabinet at this point was having a private discussion about who could be a caretaker leader if Starmer decided to go.
But Sarwar’s intervention forced their hands. It quickly emerged the Scottish Labour leader’s move had backfired as he had acted alone, being likened to James Purnell who in 2009 quit in protest at Gordon Brown’s premiership but failed to get his man.
Instead of triggering a fall of dominoes against Starmer, Sarwar prompted a frantic rearguard action from Starmer’s Cabinet, with every member of his top team issuing messages of support and hitting the airwaves to try to counter the act of betrayal.
‘We would look as mad as the Tories’
“We have just got to turn it around,” one cabinet minister had said earlier. “The alternative is that it’s chaotic. Keir continues to have significant support in Cabinet even though there are people who would want his job.
“But there isn’t an obvious successor, we would look as mad as the Tories. I don’t anticipate anyone in the Cabinet making a move against him.”
When leadership frontrunner Angela Rayner, who is not bound by Cabinet collective responsibility after her resignation from Cabinet, made clear she was backing Starmer, it was clear that the coup was off – for now.
Despite the Cabinet support, Labour insiders warned Starmer was still in a dangerous position with Rayner’s main rival Wes Streeting admitting the atmosphere is ‘febrile’ and some ministers’ backing appearing less than whole-hearted.
But in an indication of just how ‘febrile’ the atmosphere in government is Wes Streeting reportedly accused No 10 on Monday night of briefing that he had helped co-ordinate the Sarwar coup attempt.
Keir has earned the right to deliver the change he has promised and do what he cares about – which is to serve the country.This is not the time for the government to turn inwards on itself. We must focus on delivering the change we promised the country.
— Ed Miliband (@Ed_Miliband) February 9, 2026“At the same time as Wes was in an interview saying that Keir needed a chance to set out his case and his plan, No10 were briefing that Wes had told Anas Sarwar to make his statement. This is the problem,” a Streeting backer said.
Allies of Sarwar told The i Paper he acted alone. “It’s not about Cabinet politics or Westminster,” they said. “It’s not about staging for rolling news. It’s about a simple fact – you cannot knock a door in Scotland – or Manchester or Wales or Hartlepool or etc etc – and make a political case for the Labour Party because of people’s genuine hatred for the PM.”
Cabinet help is ‘temporary’
A senior Labour MP said, however that “The Cabinet coming out has really helped but it’s temporary.”
The MP added that Starmer this week still had to negotiate “massive” meetings of the parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) on Monday night and Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, while the release of the files surrounding Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador would prove another moment of serious danger.
Then he faces the potential loss of the Gorton and Denton by-election to Reform, and if he is still in post after that, big losses in May’s local elections.
They suggested Starmer was safe for now because “Wes and Angela don’t want a leadership election now”, with Streeting thought to want distance from the Mandelson affair given his former friendship with the ex-ambassador, and Rayner yet to settle her tax affairs.
But the Prime Minister’s departure was still inevitable… because I think he has answered the question – it was wrong [to hire Mandelson]. And he should be accountable.”
The MP went on: “Also you can’t have the churn in the centre of the Government without someone saying you’re the problem”
“How many chiefs of staff in 18 months? Directors of comms? Political directors?”
A Labour insider echoed this, saying Starmer was safe “for now”, “until more files and more chaos”, referring to the yet-to-be-released files on Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador.
Another Labour MP said Starmer needs to continue purging the Government of McSweeney’s choices of ministers if he wants to turn his fortunes around.
“Time for a bigger reshuffle to unpick Morgan and Mandelson’s web.
“It is all totally rogue how Mandelson and McSweeney picked this clique of ministers.”
But despite all the manouvering, a Government source said Starmer may still choose to go.
“Anas isn’t enough on his own to tip Keir into going,” they said. “It’d have to be a Cabinet minister, but we shouldn’t rule out Keir going: ‘you can all fuck off, I’m off’.”
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