Copyright The New York Times
With his poll ratings in free-fall and tough choices approaching on whether to raise taxes, the last thing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain needed was a public debate about a possible challenge to his leadership from within his own party. But on Wednesday, that discussion burst into the open, as an attempt to undercut a potential rival appeared to backfire. British news outlets, citing anonymous sources in Mr. Starmer’s camp, reported that Wes Streeting, the health secretary, was plotting against the prime minister. In response, Mr. Streeting told the BBC on Wednesday that he was “not challenging the prime minister,” while adding the news media campaign against him was evidence of a “toxic” culture in Mr. Starmer’s Downing Street office. In a noisy question-and-answer session in Parliament, Mr. Starmer told lawmakers that he had “never authorized” the accusations against his own cabinet ministers, describing them as “unacceptable.” By then, the public display of internal tensions had dealt more damage to a Labour government that has lurched through a variety of setbacks since it took power last year. It may even have increased the chances of a challenge to the prime minister for party leadership. “It’s like taking a cork out of a bottle,” said John McTernan, a political strategist who was an aide to Tony Blair when he was prime minister. “A private conversation about the leader is now public. I think it’s no longer a question of if a leadership challenge happens, it’s when.” Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
