The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, found himself on the brink of political collapse when the leader of Scottish Labour, Anas Sarwar, went public demanding his resignation. According to revelations by the Telegraph, Health Secretary Wes Streeting had spoken with Sarwar on Saturday, just two days before the latter's public intervention. The two men reportedly discussed the current political situation.
Following Sarwar's move, the Cabinet was ordered to publicly declare support for the Prime Minister, with all members—including Streeting—lining up behind Sir Keir in an effort to buy him political time. However, later that same evening, the Health Secretary chose to publicize private messages he had exchanged with Lord Mandelson, which suggested he had criticized Sir Keir’s growth strategy. This move was interpreted as an attempt by Streeting to neutralize potential obstacles in a future leadership battle by "clearing" his relationship with the disgraced former official, who faces a criminal investigation regarding alleged transmission of government information to Jeffrey Epstein.
War of leaks
The developments triggered a war of leaks, despite the fact that ministers appeared publicly united around Starmer, with Labour MPs privately maintaining that the Prime Minister's tenure is now entering its final phase. A source from the left wing of the Labour Party told the Telegraph that, "everyone, from the Prime Minister to the lowest-ranking assistant, knows who was behind the McChicken Coup. And his name rhymes with 'Les Weeting'." The term McChicken Coup is used to describe alleged efforts to exploit the removal of Morgan McSweeney, Starmer's Chief of Staff, to force the Prime Minister to resign.
Duplicity
A spokesperson for Streeting categorically denied any coup attempt, attributing the leaks to circles within Downing Street. "Wes did not ask Anas to do this, nor did he coordinate this move with him. Anas is the leader of Scottish Labour, he is an autonomous politician, and Wes respects him absolutely," they stated. "At the same time that Wes was giving an interview saying that Starmer must have the chance to present his position and plan, No 10 was leaking that Wes had asked Anas Sarwar to make his statement. This is exactly the problem."
Unprecedented crisis
Keir Starmer's leadership has been plunged into crisis due to his handling of the Lord Mandelson scandal. Within a period of three days, the Prime Minister lost three of his closest associates: Communications Director Tim Allan resigned on Monday, while Sir Chris Wormald, Cabinet Secretary, is now in negotiations for his departure. These developments followed the resignation of Morgan McSweeney, who abandoned his post as Downing Street Chief of Staff on Sunday. Starmer attempted to stabilize his position on Monday evening with a speech to the Parliamentary Labour Party, vowing that he would continue to fight. Speaking to MPs, he characterized the confrontation with Reform as "the fight of our lives," adding: "I will tell you this: as long as I have breath in my body, I will be in this fight, on behalf of the country I love and believe in, against those who want to tear it down. This is my fight, this is our fight—and we fight it together."
Starmer declares he is going nowhere
Meanwhile, Starmer will chair a Cabinet meeting today after securing a political "breather" from Labour MPs during a crucial meeting in which he made it clear: "I am not prepared to leave." The Prime Minister began the week amidst the greatest crisis of his tenure following the backlash caused by the appointment of Lord Mandelson as the UK's Ambassador to the US, as revelations continue to surface about the disgraced former official's relationship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Since last week, doubts had been intensifying regarding whether the Prime Minister would remain in his post—and for how much longer.
However, speaking at the meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party on Monday evening (9/2/2026), just hours after the head of the party in Scotland demanded his resignation, Starmer appeared determined to strike back. Despite arriving with a "face like a thundercloud," as Sky News Chief Political Correspondent Jon Craig reported, the Prime Minister received a "very warm reception" from his MPs as he pledged to face down both his critics and the opposition parties. "I have had critics at every step of my journey and I have them now—people who do not want a Labour government at all and certainly not a government that succeeds," he stated. "Having fought so hard for the chance to change our country, I am not prepared to abandon the mandate given to me and the responsibility to my country, nor to plunge it into chaos as others have done." Sir Keir emphasized to MPs that he has "won every battle he has been involved in," from reforming the Crown Prosecution Service to transforming the Labour Party into a party capable of winning elections. "We won with a landslide. Every battle I fought, I won," he said characteristically.
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