The Prime Minister spoke to his top team on Thursday over the row, which began when his allies accused Wes Streeting of planning a coup against him for after the Budget
Keir Starmer has insisted no one in Downing Street has briefed against Wes Streeting, despite the spat that engulfed the Labour party on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister spoke to his top team on Thursday over the row, which began when his allies accused Wes Streeting of planning a coup against him.
Mr Streeting denied the allegations, and now the PM has branded all briefing against ministers as “completely unacceptable”. He said: “Firstly, let me be absolutely clear that any briefing against ministers is completely unacceptable. That’s not a new position for me.
“It’s a position I’ve adopted ever since I became Prime Minister. And I’ve made it very, very clear to my team. I’ve been talking to my team today. I’ve been assured that no briefing against ministers was done from No10, but I’ve made it clear that I find it absolutely unacceptable… I’ve been equally clear that whether it’s this case or any other, I intend to deal with it.”
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Asked if he’d sack who’s responsible – if he finds them – he said: “Well, I will absolutely deal with anybody responsible for briefing against ministers, cabinet ministers or other ministers. I’ve always said, that’s the standard that I expect. And that’s the standard that I will enforce.”
He said he has confidence in his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, who has been blamed for the briefing by some MPs.
The PM also admitted he needs to deliver the change promised at the election to get his MPs back on board. Asked whether the Budget and local elections needed to go well for him to retain confidence in his party, Mr Starmer said: “What I accept is that we were elected on a manifesto of change, and we have to deliver change.”
Sources close to the PM had accused Mr Streeting considering a challenge for the Labour leadership after the Budget later this month.
The Health Secretary dismissed the idea, and claimed the PM’s supporters were trying to “kneecap” him.
Mr Streeting was repeatedly questioned by broadcasters about the anonymous attacks on him earlier this week as he visited Paddington Community Diagnostic Centre in Liverpool, but he insisted it was “all yesterday’s news”.
He would also not be drawn into discussing the future of No 10 chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, who has been blamed by some within Labour for the fallout from the apparent ploy to warn off potential leadership contenders.
Asked about an apology he received from the PM, the Health Secretary said: “One of the great things about being here in the North West today is you can leave all that silly Westminster soap opera stuff behind.
“What today’s figures show is that the NHS is on the road to recovery and this is a Labour Government which is delivering the change that people voted for: whether it’s falling waiting lists for the first time in 15 years – almost a quarter of a million lower than when we came to office; whether it’s rising satisfaction with GPs – where we promised to recruit 1,000 but actually delivered 2,500 more GPs; or whether it’s the fact that if you got suspected heart attack or stroke symptoms, an ambulance is coming to you about 10 minutes faster than this time last year.
“This is a Government that’s delivering change in the NHS. It’s on the road to recovery. I’d be the first to say though: a lot done, a lot more to do, and that’s what I’m focused on.”
Asked about Mr McSweeney directly, he replied: “I’m sure that Morgan McSweeney, Keir Starmer and everyone else is absolutely delighted with the news today that NHS waiting lists are falling.”