Sir Keir Starmer is now significantly more likely to face a challenge for his position as Labour leader and Prime Minister, according to a senior party figure. The warning comes after a week of damaging internal conflicts that have shaken the party's confidence in its leader.
A Crisis of Their Own Making
Harriet Harman, a respected Labour peer, delivered the stark assessment on Sky News' Electoral Dysfunction podcast. She stated that the recent briefing war between Number 10 and Health Secretary Wes Streeting may have "pulled the plug" on his time in office.
Baroness Harman described the situation as "a mess of Number 10's making". The crisis erupted after allies of the Prime Minister briefed journalists that he was facing a leadership challenge he would fight, explicitly naming Wes Streeting as a key plotter. The Health Secretary was forced to publicly deny the accusations, telling Sky News that allies of Mr Starmer had tried to "kneecap" him.
Sir Keir later stated that the briefings were "never authorised" by him. However, Baroness Harman pointed out that if the intention was to strengthen the Prime Minister and weaken his Health Secretary, it had the exact opposite effect.
Loyalists Losing Faith
The fallout has left Labour MPs "dismayed" by what Harman characterised as "unforced errors coming out of Number 10". She revealed that even the most staunch supporters of the Prime Minister are growing frustrated.
"The faithfuls are losing faith at the moment because all they can see is unforced errors," she told political editor Beth Rigby. She also highlighted a critical misstep, noting that "the golden rule is if you're going to start some sort of story running, that is risky, you don't do it on a Tuesday: the day before Prime Minister's Questions."
Baroness Harman suggested that Downing Street has "still time" to "get their act together", but the damage may already be profound.
The May Elections Loom
The comments arrive with crucial local, Holyrood, and Senedd elections scheduled for May 2026. It has been widely suggested that a poor performance in these contests could trigger a formal leadership challenge.
"They have got time to get their act together," Baroness Harman suggested. "But I think if there is a challenge after May, what has happened this week makes the challenge more likely. And I think Keir Starmer might well be looking back on this week and thinking that was the thing that pulled the plug."
She concluded that Number 10 had failed regardless of the intent behind the briefings. Either they promoted a damaging story they should have avoided, or they failed to stop a false story from gaining traction. "The prime minister should never be a destabilising force and should never be disloyal to cabinet ministers," she added.
