Keir Starmer warns Cabinet against ‘distractions’ after briefing row

Sir Keir Starmer warned his Cabinet against “distractions” after days of Labour civil war and Budget leaks, Downing Street has said.

The Prime Minister also issued a plea for unity following the extraordinary briefing spat last week suggesting Health Secretary Wes Streeting was plotting a leadership challenge.

His official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister opened Cabinet by setting out the importance of the Government’s mandate to renew the country.

“He said distractions meant our focus shifted from where it mattered most, working every day in service of the British people.”

Sir Keir also said “people were rightly impatient for change and we had to deliver that rather than talk about ourselves” and “that meant working as one team”, his spokesman added.

The distractions the Labour leader was referring to were the briefings about plotting to unseat the Prime Minister and disclosures to the press about Budget plans, it is understood.

No 10 had no updates on Sir Keir’s efforts to find out who was behind the anonymous briefing.

The spokesman said “the Prime Minister always takes responsibility”, but asked whether that meant he had apologised to his Cabinet for the lack of focus, responded: “I wouldn’t characterise it like that.”

It came after Sir Keir used a Monday Mirror interview to insist he would lead Labour into the next general election.

Pressed on whether opining on his premiership showed the Prime Minister was distracted, his spokesman told reporters: “The PM, as that interview indicates, is entirely focused on delivering for the British people.

“You see in his language in that interview his intention to particularly prioritise the cost of living, which he knows is a concern for everyone in this country.”

Earlier, Cabinet minister Steve Reed said the Prime Minister was “obliged” to answer a question about his leadership by a journalist.

Asked why the Prime Minister was choosing to defend his premiership, Housing Secretary Mr Reed told LBC Radio: “I think the journalist asked him the question so he was answering it.

“The reason he was being asked it is that politics, as we all know, is very volatile.

“At the moment, people have been experiencing a cost-of-living crisis for years. The previous government left all of our public services broken.

“I think it’s understandable the public are not going to give this Government the benefit of the doubt until there is change they can feel.

“We’re starting to see that happening. We’re cutting the NHS waiting lists. Here I am on your show today talking about how we’re going to end the housing crisis and get the country building.

“But people want to see hard evidence of that and it will take time. We’ll keep on focusing on dealing with the cost-of-living crisis, fixing our public services. When we get to the next election, the British public will take a choice.”

Asked about a poll suggesting only a third of Labour voters want Sir Keir to lead the party at the next election, Mr Reed reiterated that “people are desperate for change” but it takes time to bring about.

In his Mirror interview, Sir Keir said he was “utterly focused” on tackling the cost of living, as he warned Labour against wasting time on leadership rows.

Asked if he would lead Labour into the next general election, Sir Keir said: “Yes, I will. Let me be really clear – every minute that’s not spent talking about and dealing with the cost of living is a minute wasted of the political work of this Government.

“That’s my response to last week. I remain utterly focused on what matters to me most, which is bearing down on the cost of living and making people feel better off.”

The Prime Minister’s assertion that he would stay in place until the next election came as a YouGov poll of 2,100 people for the Times suggested 23% of the party’s voters think he should quit now.

A further 22% think he should stand down before the next election, due in 2029 at the latest, while only 34% think he should lead Labour then.