Leadership crisis of No.10’s own making

AT THE last General Election, Labour promised competence and integrity after the long years of the Tories’ shambolic misrule.

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“A vote for Labour is a vote for stability and a vote to end chaos’ said party leader Sir Keir Starmer. But from the start, his new Government failed to live up to that rhetoric. Amid broken pledges and frequent U-turns, ministerial authority collapsed. On every front, from the economy to immigration, political failure worsened the mood of public disillusion.

This dramatic loss in support has precipitated blind panic in Downing Street. Aides to a Prime Minister usually hope to project an image of serene command but, in Starmer’s case, senior members of his team aimed to achieve the opposite.

In a bizarre attempt to shore up his position, they deliberately manufactured a leadership crisis so they could trumpet Sir Keir's determination to stay in post and defeat any challenger.

Tt was an anarchic strategy that led to the extraordinary scenes on Tuesday night as Downing Street operatives briefed journalists about a dark conspiracy against Starmer, with Health Secretary Wes Streeting painted as ringleader.