Sir Keir Starmer’s call to apologise to Wes Streeting on Wednesday evening following hostile briefings that the health secretary was plotting a coup was “very brief”, The i Paper understands.
“Keir just sort of apologised,” sources said. “They didn’t go into any kind of details, really. He just apologised and said to Wes he’s doing a brilliant job in on the NHS and added, ‘Let’s catch up over a cup of tea soon’.”
The call came after the briefing against Streeting plunged No 10 into turmoil. The decision to brief several news outlets in a co-ordinated campaign dispelled any sense of Cabinet harmony and reignited internal calls for Starmer to remove key aides, including No 10 Chief of Staff, Morgan McSweeney.
“Morgan wasn’t mentioned” in the call between Starmer and Streeting, however, the source added.
Streeting denied conspiring to get rid of his boss in a series of media interviews on Wednesday morning, and called for those around the Prime Minister who had briefed to be sacked.
The health secretary professed his loyalty to Starmer, meanwhile accusing Downing Street aides of mounting a “totally self-defeating” campaign against him.
By lunchtime Starmer told the House of Commons he didn’t personally authorise media briefings against a cabinet minister, calling any such attack “completely unacceptable.”
‘PM assured no No 10 staff responsible’
On Thursday morning Energy Secretary Ed Miliband added his voice to calls for Starmer to fire any Downing Street aides responsible for anonymous allegations of leadership plots, acknowledging during a BBC interview the row had contributed to “a bad couple of days” for the Government.
Labour Party chair, Anna Turley, told ITV on Wednesday evening she had spoken to Starmer and that he would be holding an investigation into who briefed the criticism of Streeting. “He’s going to take action to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Turley said.
By late Thursday morning, the inquiry had concluded. A No 10 spokesman said the Prime Minister did not believe any of his aides were responsible – but that those who were would face the sack.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting speaking at the NHS Providers’ annual conference and exhibition at Manchester Central. on Wednesday Peter Byrne/PA Wire“The Prime Minister has, this morning, gathered and spoken to his senior team in Downing Street,” the spokesman said.
“The Prime Minister reiterated that briefings against cabinet ministers are completely unacceptable, which has always been his position.
“He underlined, as he told Parliament yesterday, that he has never and would never sanction any such briefings against colleagues.
“The PM said he has been assured that no number 10 staff briefed against ministers. The Prime Minister made abundantly clear the high standards that he expects from his staff, and if anyone falls below those standards, there will be consequences.”
Government has ‘descended into civil war’
Starmer had passed up an opportunity to express support for McSweeney under questioning by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch in the Commons on Wednesday.
“Morgan McSweeney, my team and I are absolutely focused on delivering for the country,” Starmer said, although his political spokesperson later clarified that the premier did have confidence in his top aide.
Badenoch said that Starmer appeared to have lost control of his office. “The real scandal is that, two weeks from a Budget, the Government has descended into civil war,” she said.
Miliband also denied any interest in replacing Starmer as Labour leader. He has been viewed by some as an experienced choice on the party’s so-called “soft left”.
The LabourList wesbite and Survation polling showing him to be the most popular Cabinet minister among members.
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“I had the best inoculation technique against wanting to be leader of the Labour Party because I was leader of the Labour Party between 2010 and 2015,” Miliband told the BBC. “I’ve got the T-shirt: that chapter’s closed.”
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