Starmer aide McSweeney is ‘toast’ after botched briefing

PM declines to back his right-hand man after 'epic own goal'

- DAVID MADDOX, CAITLIN DOHERTY, KATE DEVLIN

Sir Keir Starmer is facing a major crisis at the heart of his government after his chief of staff was blamed for a botched effort to prevent a leadership challenge.

The prime minister is under pressure to sack Morgan McSweeney over the preemptive attempt to see off any coup to oust Sir Keir, with a series of ministers and Labour MPs privately calling for the No 10 chief of staff to go after a day of chaos that has raised serious questions about the government's future.

Wes Streeting, who was targeted in the briefing as a potential challenger, hit back at suggestions he was planning a tilt at the leadership as he criticised a “toxic culture” in Downing Street.

Asked at the NHS Providers conference in Manchester about Mr McSweeney, the health secretary responded: “I am not going to add to the toxic culture by... going after individuals. I don’t think that would be a constructive or positive thing to do, and one thing I would say for Morgan McSweeney is there wouldn’t be a Labour government without him.”

As the Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch, went for the kill in a bruising PMQs, Sir Keir refused to take the opportunity to give Mr McSweeney his firm backing. The lack of endorsement suggests Mr McSweeney was behind the briefing and is now in the line of fire.

A Labour minister told The Independent: “The PM needs to bring in someone that actually knows what they are doing and understands both the politics and the PLP [parliamentary Labour Party]. If that means replacement, then fine. If it means alongside, then also fine, but it can't go on like this.”