The home secretary has condemned speculation around the Labour leadership as “deeply mortifying” as allies of Angela Rayner were forced to deny a bid to topple the prime minister, just days after the health secretary had to do the same.
Shabana Mahmood described the past week of Labour infighting, which has dominated the headlines and embroiled the most senior members of the party, as “horribly embarrassing” as she called on ministers to “focus on the job” rather than engage in “tittle tattle”.
As she made her plea, a source close to Ms Rayner hit out at “false” reports claiming that the former deputy prime minister was among those plotting a challenge to Sir Keir Starmer.
Shadow minister Chris Philp said Labour party was “fighting like rats in a sack”, while a Labour insider suggested it showed the PM was “a man on borrowed time”.
The turmoil at the top of government follows a tumultuous week in which Wes Streeting was forced to openly deny that he was planning a coup to overthrow Sir Keir. The bitter row broke out on Tuesday after allies of the prime minister insisted he was willing to fight off any challenges to his leadership, with Mr Streeting singled out as a likely challenger.
Speaking to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, Ms Mahmood referred to the briefings as “tittle tattle”, a phrase also used by Ms Rayner to condemn the row.
She said: “I think what happened earlier on this week was horribly embarrassing.
“It’s deeply mortifying for everybody in the government and I’m pleased that the prime minister has dealt with it.”
Ms Mahmood pointed to policy announcements from this week, such as the abolition of police and crime commissioners, and added: “We all have important difficult jobs to do, and it is incumbent on all of us as cabinet ministers to focus on the job.
“Because all of this tittle tattle, these off-the-record briefings, people who haven’t got the courage of their convictions to say publicly on the record what they’re saying privately to journalists, all of that, it doesn’t stand the test of time.”
Ms Mahmood was also asked on Sky News if the PM needed to think again about his leadership after a difficult week for No 10.
She said: “No. Keir Starmer is our prime minister. We won an election just under a year and a half or so ago, when people thought that we would not win an election for maybe a generation or more.
“I have no time for these things that people say or brief off the record, or any of this, frankly, Westminster bubble tittle-tattle.”
The continued fallout at the top of Labour came as Ms Mahmood outlined details of her immigration crackdown, which she will unveil on Monday in the House of Commons, and which faces strong opposition from MPs.
But the big announcement threatens to be overshadowed by the row, with one insider suggesting Sir Keir is a man on “borrowed time”. There are still unanswered questions around the source of the leak, with the prime minister launching an investigation amid fresh attention on whether his longtime ally and chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, could survive in his post.
Pollster Scarlett Maguire, founder and director of Merlin Strategy suggested that voters are “desperate” for politicians to put aside infighting and get on with governing.
She told The Independent: “Bitter public infighting is never a good look, especially when voters are desperate for politicians that get on with the job and deliver tangible change.
“That being said, there is clearly deep-rooted unhappiness with the current leadership of the country.”
Pointing to figures from YouGov earlier this week, she added: “A majority of the public think Keir Starmer should step down, including nearly four in 10 Labour voters.”
Meanwhile, a Labour insider suggested to The Independent that they agreed that the saga has been “embarrassing”. “We’re at a point where it’s being openly discussed on the media every day. If that isn’t a man on borrowed time I don’t know what is,” they said, referring to Sir Keir.
Ministers have been grappling with their own MPs who are worried about the party’s polling and the potential fallout of the upcoming Budget.
A source close to Ms Rayner denied on Sunday that she was making any potential moves towards a leadership bid, calling the idea “total rubbish”.
They said: “This is total rubbish and obviously false. Amidst all the stirring and silly games, Angela is focussed on representing her local community and ensuring that the priorities she championed in government are delivered in full.”
She had earlier sparked speculation about a return to frontline politics by insisting she had “not gone away” during her first interview since her resignation in September.
She also condemned the saga as “arrogant tittle tattle” and criticised the briefings against Mr Streeting.
Mr Philp, meanwhile, told Sky News: “The Labour Party are… fighting like rats in a sack.
“You’ve got Keir Starmer briefing against Wes Streeting. You’ve got Angela Rayner sharpening the knives in the background.
“Goodness knows what Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell are both up to.
“Instead of serving the national interest, the Labour government are fighting each other just weeks away from a Budget that will unleash enormous tax rises on this country that will drive up unemployment even further.”
