It’s been a week of political theater and turmoil at the heart of British government, with No 10 Downing Street at the center of a storm that has left ministers, party insiders, and the public alike questioning the competence and direction of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration. What began as an apparent attempt to batten down the hatches against a rumored leadership challenge spiraled into a public relations fiasco, exposing deep rifts and vulnerabilities in a government already bracing for a tough winter budget and mounting policy challenges.
According to reporting from The Times and BBC News, the trouble began in the week leading up to November 16, 2025, when senior Downing Street aides briefed selected news outlets about an alleged plot by Health Secretary Wes Streeting and his allies to dethrone Prime Minister Starmer. The aim, presumably, was to project an image of resolve—Starmer would fight any challenge, his team was united, and the government would not be cowed by internal dissent. Instead, the move backfired spectacularly. The briefing, rather than shoring up Starmer’s position, laid bare his vulnerabilities and inadvertently stoked the very rumors it sought to quash. As one government source put it to BBC News, the whole episode was “breathtaking self-indulgence” by No 10, and looked “inward at a time when the country desperately wants and needs a government that looks like ‘we get it’.”
Streeting, who was already scheduled for a round of media appearances, seized the moment. He denied any leadership ambitions with what one minister described as “gags and guile,” turning the tables and emerging from the debacle looking, in the words of another official, “like the guy in pole position.” Despite his denials, speculation persists about his ambitions—he’s “no wallflower,” as one insider quipped, and his appetite for the spotlight is well known. Yet, as BBC News notes, while the Labour Party is no stranger to chatter about who might follow Starmer, there is little concrete evidence of an organized plot. The real damage, it seems, was to the prime minister’s own standing. “Keir was made to look ridiculous,” a government source told BBC News, adding, “I’m sure he was assured that no one in No 10 was behind the briefing. I’m also sure that even he didn’t believe it.”
The fallout was immediate. The prime minister conducted a brief investigation, ultimately exonerating all involved, but the sense of chaos and dysfunction lingered. Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney, once credited as the architect of Labour’s electoral victory, found himself in the crosshairs, with several senior figures questioning whether his political strategy was up to the task. As one minister put it, “it leaves such a bad taste in the mouth of every minister. We are one team, we all take it personally—these briefings aren’t coming from Larry the cat. It’s head in hands.”
This episode could hardly have come at a worse time. The government is just days away from unveiling a budget that is widely expected to be tough, particularly for those earning over £45,000. Chancellor Rachel Reeves, described by BBC News as “locked away with aides in the final stages of planning a heavy Budget,” has been at pains to argue that the pain will be worth it—necessary to bring down NHS waiting lists, address the cost of living, and manage the nation’s debts. Yet, even here, communication missteps have sown confusion. After weeks of hints that income taxes might rise, Reeves surprised markets and politicians alike by announcing that wage growth would allow the government to keep its manifesto promise and hold the line on income tax. One City source lamented to BBC News, “There is no confidence that this government will stick to a decision or even direction of travel. Even less confidence they won’t come back for more, yet again. They rolled the pitch for income tax rises only to dig the pitch up.”
Meanwhile, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is preparing what the Home Office calls the “most sweeping set of reforms since the war” to tackle illegal immigration. Drawing on the experiences of countries like Denmark, Mahmood’s proposals include making refugee status temporary—so those granted safety could be sent back when circumstances improve—and reducing support for asylum seekers. The plans, which have already drawn criticism from refugee groups and some Labour MPs, are seen by Mahmood’s backers as a necessary toughening of the system. She warned her party, “if you don’t like this, you won’t like what follows me.” The message is clear: unless Labour can cut the number of small boat crossings and illegal immigration, a future Reform UK government could be even more radical.
All of this comes against a backdrop of mounting internal dissatisfaction with Starmer’s leadership. Ministers and party insiders are openly questioning the political operation in No 10, with some calling for McSweeney’s departure and others speculating about tensions between him and other senior advisers. The government’s polling position is dire, with Reform UK now consistently ahead and bolstered by high-profile defections and business donations. As The Times reports, Maria Caulfield’s move to Reform UK, along with significant contributions from business figures like JCB Chairman Lord Anthony Bamford and Checkatrade founder Kevin Byrne OBE, signals growing confidence in the populist party.
External pressures are also mounting. The UK has rejected the EU’s demand of £6.75 billion to join the new Security Action for Europe (SAFE), designed to enhance defense readiness among EU members. The EU, meanwhile, is floating the idea of a new Intelligence Unit to consolidate information from member states’ security services—a plan that has yet to win over France and Hungary, according to The Times. At the same time, UK intelligence-sharing with the US has reportedly been suspended over controversial military strikes in the Caribbean, with the UK keen to avoid being implicated in target identification—a move that has drawn criticism from UN human rights chief Volker Türk and sparked debate over the legality of such operations.
On the home front, nine former British Army 4-star generals have written to Starmer warning against the Northern Ireland “Troubles Bill,” which could see veterans summoned to court for actions decades ago. The generals argue that the bill, by extending protection to both those who enforced the law and those who defied it, is “morally incoherent” and risks subjecting soldiers to “pernicious lawfare.” As they put it, “Today every deployed member of the British Armed Forces must consider not only the enemy in front but the lawyer behind.”
In the midst of all this, the BBC is facing its own crisis of credibility after its 2024 Panorama program was found to have misled viewers by editing a 2021 speech by Donald Trump to suggest he was inciting violence. The BBC has since admitted an “error of judgement,” apologized, and announced it will not air the episode again. However, the controversy has reignited debates about bias at the broadcaster, with critics accusing it of following the editorial leads of The Guardian and The Independent. The resignation of two top executives and a personal apology from Chair Samir Shah to President Trump have done little to quiet the storm.
As the government lurches from self-inflicted crisis to policy challenge, the plea from Downing Street is for everyone to “get their heads down, and get on with their jobs.” Yet, as one cabinet minister told BBC News, “there is a real sense that everything we want to do is undermined by mistakes by No 10.” With respect for Starmer’s operation in decline and the budget looming, the next few weeks could prove decisive for both the prime minister and his party.
For now, the mood in Westminster is one of frustration, uncertainty, and—perhaps most dangerously for any leader—dwindling confidence in the team at the top.
