Wes Streeting has accused Downing Street of "self-destructive" behaviour has he suggested the Prime Minister's team tried to "kneecap" him.
It comes after a night of chaotic briefings where allies of Sir Keir Starmer are said to be fearing he could be ousted in a matter of weeks if the Budget does not "land" well, and the Chancellor has strongly hinted on breaking Labour's manifesto to hike income tax.
Rivals, most notably the Health Secretary, are accused of launching shadowy leadership bids, which Mr Streeting's team has vehemently denied.
Asked whether he was planning a leadership challenge, the Health Secretary told Sky News: “No, and I think whoever’s been briefing this has been watching too much Celebrity Traitors.
"This is just about the worst attack on a faithful I’ve seen since Joe Marler was kicked out and banished in the final.
"It’s totally self defeating briefing, not least because it’s not true and I don’t understand how anyone thinks it’s helpful to the Prime Minister either."
Asked if he would rule out demanding Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation after the Budget, he said: "Yes, and nor did I shoot JFK.
"I don’t know where Lord Lucan is, had nothing to do with Shergar, and I do think that the US did manage to do the moon landings. I don’t think they were fake."
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By-elections in Tory heartland as Reform and Lib Dems aim to keep up momentum
Nigel Farage and Sir Ed Davey's parties are looking to keep up their momentum
| PAA series of key by-elections are taking place tomorrow in Tory heartlands, with both Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats looking to keep up their winning momentum.
There are five by-elections taking place across the country this week, with two Lib Dem seats up for grabs.
Daisy Cooper issues warning about speculation ahead of budget
Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper has warned Downing Street of speculation about Sir Keir Starmer's future ahead of next week's budget.
The party's Treasury Spokeswoman said: "Many small businesses worried about what the budget means for them and I do worry with just two weeks to go, and this kind of talk could be very destabilising for markets.
"We have a Budget coming up and all the Chancellor is doing is hinting at tax rises, we are still in cost of living crisis and we have to get money back into people's pockets."
Across the Atlantic... Downing Street denies rift in 'special relationship' ahead of Donald Trump's BBC lawsuit vow
No10 insisted the PM and President enjoyed a 'very strong relationship' despite the lawsuit | GETTYYesterday, Downing Street suggested Sir Keir Starmer had not spoken to Donald Trump about his $1billion lawsuit against the BBC.
Asked when the PM last spoke with Mr Trump, a Downing Street spokesman said: "I refer you back to whenever we last put out a read-out" and added that any calls would be set out in the usual way.
The official insisted the pair enjoyed a "very strong relationship" - but dodged questions on whether that had been affected by Mr Trump’s spat with the broadcaster.
Then, overnight, the President took a veiled swipe at the British Government as he declared it was his "obligation" to sue the corporation.
"This is one of our great allies... the BBC - the Government has a big chunk of that one, I guess," Mr Trump said.
Wes Streeting lands first blow in Wednesday's Cabinet war with testy social media message
Wes Streeting has opened a day of political turmoil with a testy social media message.
Mr Streeting, in an apparent bid to look gleeful, said: "Good morning! Really looking forward to setting out our plans to modernise the NHS and reinvest billions saved from cutting bureaucracy into the frontline so we can cut waiting lists!"
The Health Secretary did not mention reports of plans to amass 50 frontbenchers in a bid to topple the Prime Minister, which his spokesman denied last night.
Shabana Mahmood forced to rule out her own leadership plans - as Labour peer urges her to stop the boats instead
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood rejected suggestions she too had plans for a leadership bid, calling reports "nonsense" and saying there was "clearly one big No10 operation" underway to shore up the Prime Minister's position.
Then, on BBC Newsnight, Blue Labour chief Lord Glasman said she was "the only one of really genuine quality of the whole lot” around the Cabinet table.
The peer added: “But she's got a job to do... She's got to stop the boats, she's got to sort out the prisons.
“So at the moment, I'm not in favour of any challenge to the Prime Minister."
EXPLAINED: How many MPs would Wes Streeting need to trigger a leadership contest?
Under Labour's party rules, 20 per cent of the Parliamentary Labour Party would need to back a rival candidate to trigger a formal leadership contest.
In the current PLP, that amounts to 81 MPs.
With Wes Streeting reportedly helming a 50-strong army of frontbenchers, just 31 more would need to back him to kick off a coup.
As reported earlier, Mr Streeting's spokesman insists the coup claims are "categorically untrue".
"Wes's focus has entirely been on cutting waiting lists for the first time in 15 years, recruiting 2,500 more GPs, and rebuilding the NHS that saved his life," he said.
'It's NOT sustainable until May!' Labour braces for ANOTHER local elections drubbing as war breaks out in No10
PICTURED: Nigel Farage and Sarah Pochin celebrate after she won the Runcorn & Helsby by-election on May 1, 2025
|PA
Labour sources were quick to voice their fears of another local elections drubbing last night as reports filtered through of turmoil at the very top of Government.
One senior Labour MP told the BBC: "It's all very well to say wait for the locals, but that's my activist base I'm sending into the gunfire. I can't lose all my councillors."
Another Labour source said: "The list of reasons for people to move after the Budget are growing by the day... If Wes is brave and moves he may well be rewarded by being prime minister by Christmas."
One minister had earlier described their own PM as "hated".
There are currently 176 days until the locals.
But right now, Nigel Farage's surging Reform UK are riding high in the polls.
Fresh data from Opinium revealed that a third of Britons would vote Reform - with Labour (20 per cent), the Tories (17 per cent), the Lib Dems (12 per cent) and the Greens (11 per cent) either stagnant or backsliding.
Tories delight as internal Labour feud turns public
Robert Jenrick last night poured scorn on the news of a war inside No10, joining a slew of Tory frontbenchers in doing so.
"This Government is a total joke," he raged. "We have a weak Prime Minister who’s a hostage to his MPs. Meanwhile there’s rising unemployment, flatlining growth, NHS strikes, open borders, prisoners walking free... Get a grip."
Mr Jenrick went on to tell GB News: "There's all of these challenges facing the country right now, huge challenges.
"And yet they're going to be distracted now for weeks, maybe months.
"What is going to be six months now of speculation leading up to the local elections is the last thing the country needs when we want actually some leadership at the moment."
His Shadow Cabinet colleague Andrew Bowie, responding to reports of the feud, jabbed: "Honestly, guys, it took us 13 years to get to this stage…"
RECAP: Keir Starmer 'already fighting leadership election' as PM's allies goad rivals to mount challenge
The Times reported last night that Sir Keir Starmer was now privately vowing to fight off any challenge from Labour rivals looking to replace him as Prime Minister.
The PM, who is expected to face a drubbing in May, is preparing for pressure to mount after Chancellor Rachel Reeves's tax-hiking Budget on November 26.
No10 is said to have now gone into "full bunker mode", with critics claiming the Prime Minister's allies have ramped up briefings against his rivals.
However, Sir Keir's allies told The Times he will not resign in the event of any attempt to remove him and would contest any leadership contest triggered by Labour MPs.
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