𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The Prime Minister has ordered Cabinet colleagues to end Labour’s civil war and warned “distractions” were holding back his government. Sir Keir Starmer read senior ministers the riot act, after he was forced to respond to speculation about his future by pledging to lead his party into the next election. The outburst came despite reports that Sir Keir’s own advisers sparked infighting by briefing against Health Secretary Wes Streeting last week.

Sir Keir’s official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister opened Cabinet by setting out the importance of the Government’s mandate to renew the country. “He said distractions meant our focus shifted from where it mattered most, working every day in service of the British people.”

The Prime Minister also said “people were rightly impatient for change and we had to deliver that rather than talk about ourselves” and “that meant working as one team”, his spokesman added.

His spokesman said “the Prime Minister always takes responsibility”, but asked whether that meant he had apologised to his Cabinet for the lack of focus, responded: “I wouldn’t characterise it like that.”

It came after Sir Keir used an interview with the Mirror to insist he would lead Labour into the next general election.

Asked if he would remain in Number 10, the Prime Minister said: “Yes, I will. Let me be really clear – every minute that’s not spent talking about and dealing with the cost of living is a minute wasted of the political work of this Government.”

Earlier, Cabinet minister Steve Reed said the Prime Minister was “obliged” to answer a question about his leadership by a journalist.

Asked why the Prime Minister was choosing to defend his premiership, Housing Secretary Mr Reed told LBC Radio: “I think the journalist asked him the question so he was answering it. The reason he was being asked it is that politics, as we all know, is very volatile.

“At the moment, people have been experiencing a cost-of-living crisis for years. The previous government left all of our public services broken. I think it’s understandable the public are not going to give this Government the benefit of the doubt until there is change they can feel.

“We’re starting to see that happening. We’re cutting the NHS waiting lists. Here I am on your show today talking about how we’re going to end the housing crisis and get the country building. But people want to see hard evidence of that and it will take time. We’ll keep on focusing on dealing with the cost-of-living crisis, fixing our public services. When we get to the next election, the British public will take a choice.”

Asked about a poll suggesting only a third of Labour voters want Sir Keir to lead the party at the next election, Mr Reed reiterated that “people are desperate for change” but it takes time to bring about.