Labour leader Miliband reveals what will happen if Starmer can't silence critics of health secretary Streeting.
Keir Starmer's leadership is under fire after a chaotic 48 hours that saw the Prime Minister launch an operation to discredit his chief critic, health secretary Wes Streeting. However, Labour leader Ed Miliband has revealed that he believes Starmer would "get rid" of anyone who briefed against Streeting - including Morgan McSweeney, the Chief of Staff at issue.
The PM's attempts to shore up support have backfired spectacularly, with many MPs and Cabinet ministers questioning whether his efforts have only served to weaken him further. One Cabinet minister told ITV that Starmer's paranoia had been partly justified, but that he had made a mistake by personalising the attack against Streeting.
The row has sparked an investigation into who briefed against Streeting in the first place, with Labour chair Anna Turley vowing to take action against the culprit. However, it remains unclear whether this will be a formal leak inquiry or simply a disciplinary measure.
Miliband's comments suggest that Starmer is unlikely to survive the crisis if he cannot contain the fallout from McSweeney's briefing against Streeting. The Labour leader's words also reflect his own experience of dealing with similar issues during his time as Prime Minister, where he has said that "turbulence" and briefings are a part of the job.
Streeting has defended his actions, but the timing of Downing Street's intervention has only served to increase speculation about McSweeney's future at No 10. With Labour MPs divided over how to respond, it remains to be seen whether Starmer can recover from this latest crisis and restore his authority as leader.
Keir Starmer's leadership is under fire after a chaotic 48 hours that saw the Prime Minister launch an operation to discredit his chief critic, health secretary Wes Streeting. However, Labour leader Ed Miliband has revealed that he believes Starmer would "get rid" of anyone who briefed against Streeting - including Morgan McSweeney, the Chief of Staff at issue.
The PM's attempts to shore up support have backfired spectacularly, with many MPs and Cabinet ministers questioning whether his efforts have only served to weaken him further. One Cabinet minister told ITV that Starmer's paranoia had been partly justified, but that he had made a mistake by personalising the attack against Streeting.
The row has sparked an investigation into who briefed against Streeting in the first place, with Labour chair Anna Turley vowing to take action against the culprit. However, it remains unclear whether this will be a formal leak inquiry or simply a disciplinary measure.
Miliband's comments suggest that Starmer is unlikely to survive the crisis if he cannot contain the fallout from McSweeney's briefing against Streeting. The Labour leader's words also reflect his own experience of dealing with similar issues during his time as Prime Minister, where he has said that "turbulence" and briefings are a part of the job.
Streeting has defended his actions, but the timing of Downing Street's intervention has only served to increase speculation about McSweeney's future at No 10. With Labour MPs divided over how to respond, it remains to be seen whether Starmer can recover from this latest crisis and restore his authority as leader.
This whole thing just reeks of desperation and a lack of trust in the PM... like he's trying to silence anyone who dares to question him, rather than having a real conversation about the issues. 
And honestly, if Miliband says Starmer would 'get rid' of McSweeney, that's not confidence-boosting for the leader - it's more evidence of his own insecurities. 
The fact that Labour is still trying to figure out whether this whole ordeal was a formal leak inquiry or just a disciplinary measure just shows how uncertain and divided they are. 
Either way, it's clear that Starmer's grip on power is getting tighter by the day... but not in a good way 
. The fact that Labour MPs are divided on how to respond tells me they're all thinking the same thing - is this guy for real? 
Anyway, I'm intrigued by the investigation into who briefed against Streeting... hopefully it'll be a formal inquiry so we can get some answers 
. If he's gonna take out anyone who speaks against Streeting, that's just more of the same old Labour infighting 
. I mean, come on, can't they just have a respectful debate like normal humans? 
It's not like Morgan McSweeney said anything scathing or personal, it's just a briefing 
. And now they're investigating who briefed Streeting... sounds like more PR spin to me 
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. Labour MPs need to stand up for Streeting and tell Starmer that his tactics are just gonna make things worse 
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. But for real though, if Miliband says Starmer would "get rid" of someone who briefed against Streeting, that's like saying my grandma can whip up a mean batch of her famous chili at 3 am - it ain't gonna happen! 
The only way Starmer is gonna survive this is if he just owns the mess and starts serving hot sauce to his critics.
. miliband's comments are spot on tho, if starmer can't keep his crew in line, he's toast 
. and what's with the drama around mcsweeney's future at no10? it's just a sideshow to distract us from the real issues... we need labours leadership to focus on the things that matter 
. If he really does get rid of the person who briefed against Streeting, it could backfire and make things worse for him 
. At least Labour's lookin out for Streeting, even if they're not all on the same page 
. I reckon Starmer needs to sort this mess out ASAP before it's too late 
. Maybe a team of MPs can help him get his head around what's goin' on 
and now there's an investigation... come on Keir get your act together! 
and ed miliband being honest is refreshing, even if it sounds a bit dramatic lol idk about morgan mcweeney tho, seems like he's caught in the crossfire 
but seriously, labour should focus on unity instead of who-briefed-against-whom drama 
. When Starmer tries to silence Streeting and McSweeney, he's not solving the problem, he's just creating more drama. I've seen this movie before in politics - when you try to crush dissent, you create more noise. It's like trying to hold water in your hands - the harder you squeeze, the more it slips away 
. The real question is, what would happen if Starmer took a step back and listened to his critics instead of trying to silence them? Maybe that's where the real growth happens 
anyway streeting was right 2 speak out and i hope he gets the support he deserves from his ppl 
now lets see if starmer can pull himself together and stop bein a diva 
. The fact that Labour MPs are divided on how to respond is probably the best thing that could happen - it means they're taking this seriously and trying to figure out what went wrong 
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. He's trying to silence people who are speaking truth to power, but really he's just using it as an excuse to take out the competition. I mean, Wes Streeting was just doing his job and now Starmer wants to "get rid" of anyone who briefed against him? That's not a leader, that's a puppet master controlling his strings 
. And what's with this investigation into who leaked against Streeting? Sounds like a cover-up to me 
I mean, I get it, health secretary Streeting's been throwing some shots, but come on, that's what leadership's for - to keep things civil. The fact that Starmer's all fired up about silencing critics just shows he's getting a little too worked up