Labour Turmoil: Starmer Denies Orchestrated Briefings as Ousting Rumours Grow Ahead of Budget

Labour turmoil deepens as Starmer rejects claims of internal briefings

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was forced on Wednesday to deny reports that figures within his Labour Party were plotting to remove him as leader, just two weeks before a critical government budget on 26 November that could further damage his already weak poll ratings.

Several British news outlets cited unnamed Starmer allies late on Tuesday suggesting his position might be in immediate jeopardy and naming Health Secretary Wes Streeting as a potential challenger whose “ambition” was under “particular suspicion.” Those same allies told reporters that Starmer would resist any leadership challenge.

Wes Streeting dismissed the reports as “self-defeating nonsense,” telling British media he “could not see any circumstances under which I would do that to our prime minister.” He accused those behind the briefings of attempting to “kneecap” his career.

By Wednesday afternoon what might have remained political gossip had escalated into a full-blown crisis. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Downing Street of presiding over a “toxic” culture, prompting Starmer to tell Parliament he had not authorised negative briefings about his colleagues.

“I appointed them to their posts because they’re the best people to carry out their jobs,”

he said. “Any attack on any member of my cabinet is completely unacceptable.”

The row comes ahead of a budget expected on 26 November, when Chancellor Rachel Reeves is widely expected to outline measures to plug a fiscal gap. Reports suggest Labour may break a major election pledge by raising the basic rate of income tax for the first time in half a century; Reeves has warned both tax rises and spending cuts are possible as the government seeks to reduce debt.

Those measures would likely draw renewed attacks from Nigel Farage and his Reform UK party, which has led Labour in some national polls in recent months.

Starmer’s standing plunged after Labour’s decisive general election victory in July 2024. Polling firm YouGov reported this month that just 17% of Britons approve of his performance as prime minister, while 73% disapprove.

The decision by some of Starmer’s allies to brief against Streeting — who is tasked with trying to repair Britain’s depleted National Health Service — left many Labour politicians bewildered and raised questions about the prime minister’s control of operations at Downing Street. “People are flummoxed,” a Labour MP who spoke on condition of anonymity told CNN. “Nobody quite understands where this briefing is coming from.”

Lawmakers were also puzzled by the timing. After a rocky first 16 months in office, Labour MPs had previously signalled they did not expect a serious leadership contest until after local elections in May 2026, giving the government time to recover in the polls. But the late-Tuesday briefing raised the prospect of a post-budget leadership challenge.

Although Streeting denied any intention to mount a leadership bid, a “Wes for Leader” website appeared on Tuesday. CNN has reached out to Streeting’s office for comment.

Ousting a Labour leader is procedurally difficult: any challenger needs the backing of 20% of Labour MPs, roughly 80 lawmakers, to mount a credible contest. Similar rumours flared in September when Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester and former MP, briefly challenged aspects of Starmer’s approach.

What to watch next

All eyes will be on the Nov. 26 budget announcement and whether it deepens public unease or steadies the government. The episode underlines internal tensions within Labour and raises fresh questions about Starmer’s authority at Downing Street as he seeks to navigate difficult fiscal choices and a volatile political environment.