Keir Starmer's leadership is being tested, but perhaps not in the way he expected. Instead of a challenge from his own party members, Starmer has mounted a fierce attack on himself, with cabinet ministers plotting to oust him.
It appears that Starmer and his team had genuinely believed there was going to be a coup against him, with even Wes Streeting, Ed Miliband, and Shabana Mahmood considered as potential challengers. However, this supposed plot was nothing more than a product of their own paranoia.
Starmer's response was to channel his inner Gordon Brown by launching a scathing attack on the opposition, including Labour backbenchers who had expected some stability from No 10. The prime minister came across as increasingly flustered, struggling to address even simple questions during PMQs.
The Guardian's John Crace suggests that Starmer's leadership challenge was an exercise in self-harm, driven by a deep-seated fear of being overthrown. While Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood may have ambitions to take the reins, they lack a well-oiled machine behind them – unlike Starmer.
Crace also notes that Keir has become increasingly isolated from reality, turning his leadership into an issue. His critics will argue that he is struggling to balance the competing demands of being Labour leader and prime minister, leading to moments of panic in the House of Commons.
In a surprise twist, Kemi Badenoch took full advantage of Starmer's turmoil, delivering a convincing performance at PMQs and leaving him looking decidedly out of his depth. It seems that even Keir may have underestimated his Tory counterpart, but it remains to be seen whether he can recover from this latest bout of chaos.
It appears that Starmer and his team had genuinely believed there was going to be a coup against him, with even Wes Streeting, Ed Miliband, and Shabana Mahmood considered as potential challengers. However, this supposed plot was nothing more than a product of their own paranoia.
Starmer's response was to channel his inner Gordon Brown by launching a scathing attack on the opposition, including Labour backbenchers who had expected some stability from No 10. The prime minister came across as increasingly flustered, struggling to address even simple questions during PMQs.
The Guardian's John Crace suggests that Starmer's leadership challenge was an exercise in self-harm, driven by a deep-seated fear of being overthrown. While Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood may have ambitions to take the reins, they lack a well-oiled machine behind them – unlike Starmer.
Crace also notes that Keir has become increasingly isolated from reality, turning his leadership into an issue. His critics will argue that he is struggling to balance the competing demands of being Labour leader and prime minister, leading to moments of panic in the House of Commons.
In a surprise twist, Kemi Badenoch took full advantage of Starmer's turmoil, delivering a convincing performance at PMQs and leaving him looking decidedly out of his depth. It seems that even Keir may have underestimated his Tory counterpart, but it remains to be seen whether he can recover from this latest bout of chaos.
. I think he's been under a lot of pressure lately and it's affected him. But you know what? He's still a strong leader 
. It's just that sometimes, even the best among us need a bit of help to stay on track 
. Cabinet members plotting against each other can be super toxic 
. I think Starmer needs to take a step back, breathe, and remember why he started this whole thing in the first place 
. And honestly, it looks like Kemi Badenoch is stepping up her game 
! Can't wait to see what happens next 
guess who was right all along? Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood just wanted some stability but nope, Starmer's too busy being paranoid 
. Now he's attacking his own party members and it's like he's trying to be the opposition 
. And Kemi Badenoch just took advantage of his mess and owned PMQs? nice turn of events 
. I wonder if Starmer has a "What Would Gordon Brown Do?" poster in his office 
like, when u're in power, every move gets scrutinized and ppl wanna get rid of u ASAP. But maybe instead of freaking out and attacking himself, he shd focus on what's really got the ppl worried – like the cost of living crisis & NHS struggles 
and I dont blame Kemi Badenoch for taking advantage of it. She might just be better equipped to deal w/ these kinds of situations than Starmer is 
btw, i need to get some popcorn for this drama unfold 
. Its not about individual ambition but building a better society for everyone 
and it's affecting his leadership style 
. He's started to become more paranoid about potential coups 
, which isn't doing him any favors. His response to the supposed plot was to go on the attack himself 
. I do think Wes and Shabana have some valid ambitions, but they need more support from the party machine behind them 
Not exactly convincing. And what about all these 'plotting' cabinet ministers? Where are the sources on that? We need more context before we can even start talking about a potential leadership challenge. This whole thing just feels like a big mess to me... 
.
. We've seen him lash out at the opposition and even his own backbenchers in PMQs, which doesn't exactly fill me with confidence 
. I mean, don't get me wrong, they're still Labour members and all, but it feels like Starmer is just trying to distract from his own struggles rather than addressing the issues within the party.
. Will Starmer be able to recover from this? Only time will tell 
. This whole thing reeks of him being too scared to let anyone else have a say and instead lashes out at everyone around him. Like, good luck trying to rally the troops when you're more worried about getting taken down than actually leading 
. I mean, even Kemi Badenoch just steamrolled him in PMQs? That's not exactly confidence-inspiring for Labour fans 
.
. All this infighting from within Labour is a perfect opportunity for the Tories to gain ground 
. I'm loving Kemi Badenoch's reaction, though – she's totally owning that PMQs session 
. Can he regain his footing before it's too late? 
. It's time for him to channel that energy into constructive politics instead of attacking himself and others 
. And btw, it was a clever move by Kemi Badenoch, but let's not forget she's got her own set of problems too 
.
. Those cabinet ministers thought they could plot against him, but he ended up taking the reins again 
!
he's just makin it easy 4 kemi badenoch to take over 2!!! 
. Guess you could say she's the one who's really 'on it' while Starmer's off in left field 
. Will he bounce back or get stuck in this quagmire? Only time will tell, I guess 
.
. This whole thing with Wes & Shabana trying to oust him was just a case of party politics gone wild 
, but instead of dealing with it, Keir went all in on himself 
.