Labour MPs Turn on Keir Starmer as Rebellion Grows Inside The UK Government

The United Kingdom’s governing Labour Party is entering a period of open internal revolt as MPs question whether Prime Minister Keir Starmer can remain in charge.

Starmer won a huge majority last year with 411 seats, yet his authority is now visibly fraying. Tensions that have simmered for months moved into the open earlier this week when senior figures in Starmer’s office privately briefed selected journalists that health secretary Wes Streeting was preparing a leadership challenge.

The move collapsed almost immediately. Streeting publicly dismissed any ambition to replace Starmer and accused the anonymous briefers of causing unnecessary turmoil. His denial exposed deep mistrust inside the party and raised questions about who inside Starmer’s team authorised the claims.

Starmer told Parliament recently that he had never approved attacks on his ministers and said such behaviour was unacceptable. He is reported to have apologised to Streeting in private, yet he did not identify those responsible for the leak. His failure to keep discipline among advisers has amplified concerns that he is no longer fully in command.

Behind the infighting lies a steady decline in Labour’s public support. A national survey earlier this week found only about a quarter of voters want Starmer to remain leader and more than half prefer Labour to replace him. That polling has emboldened MPs who believe a leadership challenge may become unavoidable if the government delivers an unpopular budget or suffers heavy losses in next year’s local elections.

Several ministers are being mentioned as potential successors, although all deny involvement. The speculation itself signals a party no longer united behind its leader. Under Labour rules a challenger would need nominations from 20 percent of MPs, equal to roughly 80 members of the parliamentary party.