United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer has sought to distance himself from an unofficial briefing to the media by unnamed \u201callies\u201d that he intends to fight off a leadership contest which, they say, could come just 18 months into his premiership.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday evening, unnamed sources were cited in The Guardian newspaper saying Health Secretary Wes Streeting has gathered significant backing to supplant Starmer.<\/p>\n
Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list<\/p>\n
But on Wednesday morning, Streeting denied this, telling journalists that he was \u201cnot challenging the prime minister\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not doing any of the things some silly briefer said overnight,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
Asked if those responsible for the briefing should be sacked, Streeting said, \u201cYes. But he\u2019s [Starmer] got to find them first, and I wouldn\u2019t expect him to waste loads of time on this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are people around the prime minister who do not follow his model and style of leadership,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In response to the ensuing media storm, Starmer, whose premiership since last year has been marred by poor polling, told reporters in north Wales on Thursday that briefings against ministers are \u201ccompletely unacceptable\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have been talking to my team today. I have been assured that no briefing against ministers was done from Number 10, but I have made it clear that I find it absolutely unacceptable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The current internal party strife has shone a light on the prime minister\u2019s standing as leader of the Labour Party.<\/p>\n
In its most recent poll on Tuesday, pollster YouGov said of 4,989 people polled, only 27 percent thought he should continue as Labour Party leader.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what we know about the rumours of a leadership plot:<\/p>\n
![\"LONDON,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/getty_6917075cd4-1763116892.jpg\")
The UK\u2019s secretary of state for health and social care, Wes Streeting, leaves after attending the weekly meeting of ministers of the British government at Number 10 Downing Street on November 4, 2025, in London, England [Carl Court\/Getty Images]What are the rumours about a leadership challenge?<\/p>\n
On Tuesday evening, unnamed senior Starmer aides told The Guardian newspaper that any attempt to remove the prime minister would be \u201creckless\u201d and \u201cdangerous\u201d. According to the aides, deposing Starmer so early in his term as prime minister would undermine financial markets and reverberate on the stock market, the party and its international relationships.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe party would not recover for a generation,\u201d one of the unnamed sources told The Guardian.<\/p>\n
Number 10 sources also told The Guardian they are concerned about rumours that Streeting could be planning a \u201ccoup\u201d and is just one of several Labour ministers who are \u201con manoeuvres\u201d to take the leadership if the opportunity arises. However, none of them were likely to move against the prime minister right now.<\/p>\n
They said the most likely moment for a leadership challenge would be after the autumn budget \u2013 the government\u2019s tax-and-spending review, due in parliament on November 26 \u2013 if higher taxes are announced, or after May elections next year if the Labour party performs poorly.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeir will not stand aside at this point, for Wes or anybody else,\u201d one source told The Guardian.<\/p>\n
On Friday, the UK\u2019s Financial Times cited an unnamed minister who claimed that support for the health secretary was growing following the news of the unsanctioned \u201cbriefing\u201d.<\/p>\n
Streeting was not the only name mentioned as a potential leadership contender. Both Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Energy Secretary and a former leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband were named as possible contenders, the sources said.<\/p>\n
Politics professor Nicholas Allen, from Royal Holloway University in London, explained that the briefing revealed \u201cgenuine concern, at least in some quarters, that Starmer is vulnerable\u201d.<\/p>\n
Could a coup against Starmer be successful?<\/p>\n
Allen said it would be difficult to achieve a new leadership election because Labour Party rules state that a contender have the support of 20 percent of MPs to be nominated. This would be hard to do with party whips, which enforce a party consensus.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know how strong Streeting\u2019s support is,\u201d Allen said. \u201cHe probably couldn\u2019t force Starmer out by himself; what would be more likely is a collapse in support within the party, fuelled by low poll ratings and unforced errors (like the briefing), and Starmer deciding to step down or being encouraged to go by a group of senior ministers. At that point, the field would be open. Streeting may or may not be the perceived saviour,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Who briefed the press?<\/p>\n
The British press is speculating that the unofficial briefing may have been organised by Starmer\u2019s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, as a tactic designed to put off any ministers thinking about challenging him.<\/p>\n
McSweeney, who has been widely credited with helping Starmer to win the July 2024 election, is now facing calls to resign from unnamed members of parliament, according to reports.<\/p>\n
However, Starmer appeared not to support such a move on Thursday when he reiterated that he \u201cof course\u201d has complete confidence in his chief of staff.<\/p>\n
What do opposition parties say?<\/p>\n
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch was quick to respond, accusing Starmer of losing control of his party during Wednesday\u2019s Prime Minister\u2019s Question Time.<\/p>\n
Badenoch called Starmer a \u201cweak prime minister at war with his own cabinet\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo weeks before the budget, isn\u2019t it the case that this prime minister has lost control of government, he\u2019s lost control of his party and lost the trust of the British people,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the debate, Badenoch referred to an interview Streeting gave to the BBC in which he accused Downing Street of having a \u201ctoxic culture\u201d, and asked Starmer if his minister was correct.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny attack on any member of my cabinet is completely unacceptable,\u201d Starmer said in response.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the far-right Reform UK party\u2019s head of policy, Zia Yusuf, wrote on X on Thursday that the \u201cterrifying thing about the coup against Starmer is that Labour members will choose his replacement\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir favourite Labour minister is Ed Miliband. Some of the most unhinged people in the country will choose the next Prime Minister,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Reform\u2019s popularity has risen hugely in the UK since last year\u2019s election.<\/p>\n
How does the autumn budget fit into this?<\/p>\n
The briefing came just two weeks before Starmer and his chancellor of the exchequer, Rachel Reeves, announced the autumn budget on November 26.<\/p>\n
The budget, which outlines the government\u2019s tax-and-spending plans for the next year, has been the subject of intense speculation in recent weeks, as it was widely expected to break one of Labour\u2019s main election pledges: not to increase income taxes.<\/p>\n
However, the Financial Times reported on Friday morning that Reeves is now ruling out any rise in income tax amid concerns that it could seriously anger voters and backbench legislators.<\/p>\n
Why else is Starmer losing popularity in the UK?<\/p>\n
Since winning the election in 2024, the prime minister has received backlash from across the political spectrum, including from Labour voters, over several issues.<\/p>\n
According to a YouGov poll in September, if an election were to be called now, the far-right Reform UK would win, leaving the Labour Party as the second-largest party and the former governing party, the Conservatives, in third place.<\/p>\n
Allen said the briefing could damage public perception of the Labour party further as it has revealed \u201ca desire by some to engage in tribal fights with senior ministers\u201d and that Starmer \u201cdoesn\u2019t do politics very well, either in terms of surrounding himself with reliable people (if he didn\u2019t know) or in terms of political judgement (if he did authorise it)\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt merely confirms what most voters probably already think: that the current Labour government and its prime minister aren\u2019t all that good, or at least not significantly better than the Conservative government they voted out less than 18 months ago,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n
Here are some of the main areas of domestic policy which are causing the popularity of Starmer\u2019s Labour Party to wane<\/a>.<\/p>\n Migration<\/strong><\/p>\n The opposition Reform UK party has risen in popularity largely on the back of its calls for stricter migrant control. The key issue is the rapid rise in the numbers of people arriving in small boats across the English Channel from France, particularly in the past year.<\/p>\n