Sir Keir Starmer is facing the most serious internal challenge to his leadership to date, as Labour unrest over economic policy and a spate of damaging leaks has hardened into open calls for his resignation from within the parliamentary party. The crisis, sparked by anonymous briefings against Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting, has exposed deep ideological rifts and prompted senior figure Ed Miliband to publicly declare that Starmer will sack the culprits as an “inoculation” against a coup.
The turmoil has been brewing for weeks but erupted into public view over November 11-12, when a series of negative briefings about Streeting appeared in the press, causing fury among the shadow cabinet. By Thursday, rumours were swirling of a coordinated plot involving up to 50 MPs, with Labour’s poll numbers having slumped by ten points amid a concurrent rise for the Reform party. Ed Miliband, a key Starmer ally, was forced to address the infighting directly, stating that the leader was prepared to take drastic action to quell the rebellion.
“Keir will sack the people responsible for these briefings,” Miliband told reporters. “It is an inoculation against a change of leadership. This kind of self-defeating behaviour has to stop if we are to be a credible government-in-waiting.” However, the discontent appears to run deeper than mere personality clashes.
One anonymous rebel MP from the party’s left flank stated, “The leadership is out of touch with the membership and the country. We need a change in direction, not just a change in personnel at the top.” Wes Streeting himself denied any knowledge of a formal challenge, saying, “There is no leadership challenge. This is gossip whipped up by our political opponents and a hostile media.”
The broader context is ominously familiar for the Labour party, which was torn apart by similar internal warfare during the Jeremy Corbyn era. The current unrest comes at a critically sensitive time, with a key budget announcement looming and local elections scheduled for May 2026 that will be a major test of Starmer’s public appeal.
The party is grappling with how to address persistent inflation and cost-of-living pressures without alienating its base. This internal civil war not only risks derailing Labour’s policy agenda but also presents a gift to the Conservative party, which will seek to portray Labour as too divided and unstable to govern.
Written by Were Kelly
Sources: The Guardian, Sky News.
