Sir Keir Starmer could face a leadership challenge early in the new year as Labor MPs claim the prime minister cannot now sack his chief of staff as it would hasten his exit.
Trying to draw a line on the turmoil that has engulfed his government this week, Sir Kear insisted he had been assured that no one in Downing Street was responsible for the briefing against his health secretary, Wes Streeting.
The briefing, which Morgan McSweeney accuses the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces, suggests that Mr. Streeting is preparing to launch a leadership coup.
But even as the prime minister sought to end the row by apologizing to Mr Streeting, calls for the sacking continued to mount.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, who is also accused of maneuvering to replace Sir Keir, has repeatedly called on Mr Streeting to sack the person responsible.
Mr Miliband, in response to the question of whether the Prime Minister should sack whoever is in charge of the briefings? Today’s program: “Of course you should”.
Meanwhile, another minister said: He should be fired [McSweeney] But we all know he can’t. They are locked together in mutual survival.”
Others said Mr McSweeney was “probably unsackable”, but added the Prime Minister “should be very worried”.
Another series of briefings against her communications director, Tim Allen, suggests a Downing Street civil war has broken out among senior figures.
Mr McSweeney was praised for electing Sir Kear as Labor leader for reviving the party after the disastrous Jeremy Corbyn era, as well as winning the general election.
But concerns are growing about his influence in Downing Street, with one minister claiming Mr McSweeney “essentially made the change after Angela Rainer resigned as deputy prime minister and housing secretary”.
“The question we all have now is whether a change of leader will improve things. We are averaging below 20% in the polls, it can hardly be worse,” said one MP.
Another MP noted: We only need 20% of the representatives to nominate someone [to challenge Starmer]. Now this is possible.”
Meanwhile, a senior figure suggested a challenge would come in early January in a bid to retain some of the seats at stake in May’s election.
They said: “A lot of people are saying to me – why wait? Why not at least try to save thousands of councilors and some members of the Welsh Assembly and Scottish MPs?”
John McTernan, a former strategist in the Blair government, said: “Before this, everyone was talking about a change of leader, but this week has forced the question. It probably brought everything forward.
“The problem is that briefing number 10 was competent, whether the prime minister knew about it or not. So he either doesn’t trust his health minister, which means he has to go, or he has to fire his chief of staff.”
In a scathing attack, Alastair Campbell said public support for the prime minister was rapidly waning, adding that the government had “no convincing narrative” and had scored “too many own goals”.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Campbell said: “There are bigger and worse enemies – like Nigel Farage, who if we’re not careful. [is] I will come and take over this country and take it to a very dark place.”
But Sir Kiir, speaking to reporters in England, insisted he would “deal absolutely with whoever is responsible for providing explanations against ministers” after a bitter battle broke out at the heart of the government.
He said: First, let me say clearly that any justification against the ministers is completely unacceptable, this is not a new position for me, this is the position I have adopted since I became the prime minister.
I have spoken with my team today. I have been assured that there have been no briefings against ministers from No 10, but I have made it clear that I find that completely unacceptable.
He added: I have been assured that it did not come from Downing Street, but I have been equally clear that whether it is this or any other case, I intend to deal with it.
Meanwhile, Downing Street said the prime minister had full confidence in Allen’s team, following calls for an investigation into his communications chief amid allegations of a conflict of interest.
These focus on his stake in a lobbying firm and report political discussions with one of its advisers.
The Conservatives have called for a full Cabinet Office inquiry, while the Lib Dems have also called for an inquiry.
Labor says claims he did anything to benefit the Strand when he was at No 10 are “absolutely false” and say any interaction with Tom Baldwin “is in his capacity as a journalist and not related to the Strand, its business or clients”.
A spokesman for Strand Partners said Mr Baldwin, the prime minister’s biographer, was a journalist who “does not engage in government relations for the Strand and it is not part of the terms of his engagement with us”.
