Anonymous briefings suggest Britain’s prime minister is suffering from premature ejection. His allies were trying to prevent a leadership challenge — but they may have only made it more likely

An attempt by Keir Starmer’s allies to undercut a rival has forced into the open a party debate over whether to replace the prime minister.

Starmer is scrambling to boost his government’s fortunes ahead of elections next year in Wales, Scotland and parts of England, when Labour is expected to lose heavily. His allies made it clear that he would be determined to fight on even if there were setbacks at the Budget or at May’s local elections.

The prime minister is under pressure to sack Morgan McSweeney over the pre-emptive attempt to see off any coup to oust Sir Keir, with a series of ministers and Labour MPs privately calling for the No 10 chief of staff to go after a day of chaos that has raised serious questions about the government's future.

Labour is facing an extraordinary rift at the top of government. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has strongly denied claims that he is plotting to overthrow Prime Minister Keir Starmer, saying that attacks are a sign of a toxic culture at Number 10.

Sir Keir Starmer on Wednesday denied that he had authorised a “kneecap” attack on his health secretary Wes Streeting, as the UK prime minister struggled to contain a pre-Budget leadership crisis sparked by his own team.

A former adviser to Keir Starmer and Tony Blair has urged the Prime Minister to reinvent himself as a “social media star”, warning that his cautious communication style is leaving voters cold