Sir Keir Starmer is “too weak” to sack his leadership rival Wes Streeting, the prime minister’s allies have reportedly said.
Mr Streeting has been accused of orchestrating a coup against the PM after he released text messages between himself and Lord Peter Mandelson just as the PM was fighting for his political life on Monday.
Reports later suggested he held a phone call with Scottish leader Anas Sarwar two days before Mr Sarwar called on Mr Starmer to resign.
One Starmer ally told the Financial Times: “I don’t think he can sack Wes, I don’t think he has the strength to sack anyone right now. He’s too weak.”
The health secretary has said that claims he is intent on deposing Mr Starmer are “categorically untrue”.
It comes as Mr Starmer faced fresh chaos after Labour peer and ex-communications chief Lord Matthew Doyle was suspended from the Labour Party over his past association to paedophile councillor Sean Morton.
It is the latest in a string of departures to rock the Labour Party after Downing Street chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and director of communications Tim Allan both quit in a turbulent last 48 hours.
Read MoreAs Tim Allan quits No 10, will Keir Starmer be the last man standing?
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Key Points
- Wes Streeting denies orchestrating 'coup' against Starmer
- Officials to search through Mandelson correspondence going back to 'Blair era'
- Starmer’s paedophile-linked peer and former comms chief quits Labour Party
- Top civil servant to follow Allan and McSweeney and exit No 10
- PM hits out at Labour infighting saying he would 'never walk away from the country that I love'
PM speaks of challenges faced by late brother as he vows to fight on
06:30 , Maira ButtPrime minister Sir Keir Starmer reflected on the difficulties faced by his brother as he set out why he was so determined to fight on in No 10.
Sir Keir’s younger brother Nick died aged 60 in 2024.
The prime minister said: “He had difficulties learning when he was growing up, he spent his adult life wandering from job to job in virtual poverty.
“This system, this political system, didn’t work for him and there are billions of people in the same boat, children in poverty, young people who don’t get the opportunities they deserve.
“Millions of people held back because of a system that doesn’t work for them, who are not given the dignity, the respect, the chance that they deserve.
“And I’m fighting for them. I am their prime minister, and this is their government and I will never give up on that fight.”
Recap: Starmer-appointed peer suspended over paedophile link
06:00 , Maira ButtSir Keir Starmer was plunged into fresh chaos on Tuesday after weathering the worst political turmoil of his career this week. Lord Matthew Doyle had the Labour whip removed after controversy over his links to a paedophile councillor.
But despite saying he would “never” walk away from his duty to his country, Starmer faces new problems amid rumours that his cabinet secretary Chris Wormald will be the next to quit.
Meanwhile, ministers were warned not to share their messages with Lord Peter Mandelson after Wes Streeting attempted to get ahead of any controversy by releasing them himself.
Scotland Yard said that it is “vital due process is followed” so as not to jeopardise an ongoing investigation.
Full story: Starmer plunged into fresh crisis as paedophile-linked peer and former comms chief suspended from Labour
05:00 , Maira ButtSir Keir Starmer’s fightback against an attempted Labour leadership coup has been overshadowed by a fresh scandal involving one of his closest former aides.
Labour announced on Tuesday evening that it had suspended Sir Keir’s former communications chief, Matthew Doyle, who the prime minister elevated to the House of Lords in December, over his links to a convicted paedophile, former councillor Sean Morton.
The latest development will raise fresh questions over Sir Keir’s integrity and judgment, with echoes of the Peter Mandelson scandal, which has already cost him his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney and brought his premiership to the brink of collapse.
The Independent’s political editor David Maddox and Whitehall editor Kate Devlin report:
Starmer faces new crisis as paedophile-linked former comms chief suspended by Labour
Cabinet secretary misses meeting amid rumours he could quite
04:00 , Maira ButtSir Keir Starmer’s Cabinet Secretary, Sir Chris Wormald, missed a meeting at the last minute on Tuesday amid rumours that he could be next to leave government.
Mr Wormald was due to attend a meeting of Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) but the ISC said he was unavailable at the last minute, according to a press notice.
Officials filled in for Sir Chris as the committee held an extraordinary meeting to discuss its task of screening files relating to Lord Mandelson to decide what can be released into the public domain.
Minister 'proud' of Starmer handling of Mandelson scandal
03:00 , Maira ButtBaroness Jennifer Chapman of Darlington, minister of state for development, told peers that it was a “bad decision” to appoint Lord Peter Mandelson to the position of US ambassador but that she was “proud” of Sir Keir Starmer’s handling of the situation.
“It’s a bad decision,” she said on Tuesday. “Now, when you make a bad decision in life, especially when you’re the Prime Minister, you’ve got a choice.
“Some prime ministers have stood at the despatch box in the other place (Commons) and told barefaced lies about it.
“Ours didn’t, and I’m proud of him for that.”
Analysis: Starmer’s ‘put up or shut up’ message to his rivals is overshadowed by a new scandal
02:00 , Maira ButtKeir Starmer is a prime minister who cannot catch a break, even as he breaks cover to launch a fightback to save his premiership.
Moments after he delivered a “put up or shut up” message to his critics and rivals in a moment of defiance over his future as prime minister, news broke that Lord Matthew Doyle, the man he chose as his first director of communications and then personally appointed to the Lords, had been suspended by Labour over links to a paedophile.
The latest chapter in this ongoing crisis for the prime minister, which comes as he tried to draw a line under the chaos within the party after the most turbulent day of his premiership so far, threatens to bring Starmer right back to the brink.
The Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports:
Starmer’s ‘put up or shut up’ message to his rivals is overshadowed by a new scandal
Starmer appointed Doyle to Lords despite knowledge of his past association
01:00 , Maira ButtSir Keir Starmer nominated Lord Matthew Doyle for a peerage despite him having previously campaigned for a councillor charged with child sex offences.
Lord Doyle was nominated for a peerage by the prime minister in December.
Downing Street later admitted that Mr Doyle’s links with Sean Morton were “thoroughly investigated” before he was nominated for a peerage, with several interviews taking place with Mr Doyle himself.
You can read more below:
Keir Starmer gave peerage to former aide who campaigned for child sex offender
Lord Doyle admits he had contact with Morton after sex offences conviction
00:01 , Maira ButtLord Matthew Doyle has admitted he had contact with paedophile councillor Sean Morton after his conviction but that exchanges were “extremely limited”.
“Following his conviction any contact was extremely limited and I have not seen or spoken to him in years,” he said.
“Twice I was at events organised by other people, which he attended, and once I saw him to check on his welfare after concerns were raised through others.”
He said the latter was because: “I acted to try to ensure the welfare of a troubled individual whilst fully condemning the crimes for which he has been convicted and being clear that my thoughts are with the victims of his crimes. I am sorry about the mistakes I have made. I will not be taking the Labour whip.”
Officials will probe Mandelson’s Epstein links ‘going back to Blair era’
Tuesday 10 February 2026 23:35 , Maira ButtOfficials are searching through 25 years of records in search of evidence linking Lord Peter Mandelson to disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, according to the Times.
Civil servants are poring through correspondence including from Lord Mandelson’s time as Northern Ireland secretary between 1999 and 2002 under Tony Blair and as business secretary under Gordon Brown from 2008 to 2010.
A Metropolitan Police investigation into Lord Mandelson and allegations of misconduct in public office was launched last week and the peer’s homes were searched.
Ministers warned not to follow Streeting and publish Mandelson messages
Tuesday 10 February 2026 23:30 , Maira ButtSir Keir Starmer has told ministers they should be “acting together” after they were warned not to follow Wes Streeting in publishing messages with Peter Mandelson amid a police investigation into alleged misconduct in a public office.
In a message to officials, the Cabinet Office is understood to have told members of Government that they should not share material that could be covered by a Commons motion forcing the release of documents relating to the peer’s appointment as US ambassador.
Scotland Yard warned that it is “vital due process is followed” so as not to jeopardise its probe following accusations the peer passed market-sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein in the 2000s.
On Monday the health secretary shared a transcript of messages, dated from August 2024 to October 2025 in which he said Labour had no growth strategy and referred to Israel as a “rogue state”.
'Categorically untrue': Wes Streeting hits back at reports of Starmer coup attempts
Tuesday 10 February 2026 23:26 , Maira ButtHealth secretary Wes Streeting has hit back at reports that he is continuing attempts to undermine Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership despite presenting a united front.
Sources told the Guardian that Mr Streeting is intent on standing against the PM and is biding his time by waiting for the Gorton and Denton byelection to be over later this month.
Mr Streeting said he had not been approached with the claims.
“The @guardian did not approach me or my team with these claims,” he wrote on X on Tuesday night.
“Had they done so I would have said this is categorically untrue.”
Labour chair says Doyle should not remain peer
Tuesday 10 February 2026 23:00 , Maira ButtChair of the Labour party Anna Turley believes Lord Matthew Doyle should be stripped off his peerage.
Asked if he should remain as peer, Turley told Sky News: “No, I don't think he should.”
She explained: “That's my personal view. And just like with Peter Mandelson, we're going to be making it easier for people who have particularly undertaken criminal offences to be removed from the Lords.
“We don't have that power at the moment.
“He's not committed a criminal offence, but, you know, I just think people who've got this kind of record or have not been clear and transparent, there's no place for them in the Lords.”
‘I would pack Starmer’s suitcase for him’: Disdain for Labour unites Gorton and Denton ahead of crucial by-election
Tuesday 10 February 2026 22:30 , Maira ButtSheila Harrison, 69, has always voted Labour. Like most people in Denton, Greater Manchester, she said that when it comes to elections, there has only been one choice.
But not any more.
“I would pack Keir Starmer’s suitcase for him”, the 69-year-old tells The Independent on Manchester Road in Denton.
She says the beleaguered prime minister, currently fighting to save his premiership, “doesn’t understand the working class” and for the first time in her life, she’s voting against Labour in this month’s crucial by-election.
Dan Haygarth reports:
Disdain for Labour unites Gorton and Denton ahead of crucial by-election
Why the cabinet secretary could join the exodus from Starmer’s No 10 team
Tuesday 10 February 2026 22:00 , Maira ButtIn our world of government by rumour, it seems that the cabinet secretary will soon be the latest senior figure to leave the prime minister’s side – albeit having nothing to do with the Mandelson scandal.
Chris Wormald is expected to depart after a little over a year in the role, an extremely short tenure. Antonia Romeo, permanent secretary at the Home Office, is reported to be in line to replace him. It’s a significant appointment.
Sean O’Grady reports:
Why the cabinet secretary could join the exodus from Starmer’s No 10 team
Watch: Starmer insists 'I'll never walk away from country I love' after failed attempt to oust PM
Tuesday 10 February 2026 21:40 , Maira ButtLord Doyle's statement in full as he quits Labour Party
Tuesday 10 February 2026 21:20 , Maira ButtIn his statement on the Sean Morton row, Lord Doyle said: “Those of us who took him at his word were clearly mistaken.
“I have never sought to dismiss or diminish the seriousness of the offences for which he was rightly convicted. They are clearly abhorrent and I have never questioned his conviction.
“Following his conviction any contact was extremely limited and I have not seen or spoken to him in years. Twice I was at events organised by other people, which he attended, and once I saw him to check on his welfare after concerns were raised through others.
“I acted to try to ensure the welfare of a troubled individual whilst fully condemning the crimes for which he has been convicted and being clear that my thoughts are with the victims of his crimes.
“I am sorry about the mistakes I have made. I will not be taking the Labour whip.
“For the avoidance of any doubt, let me conclude where I started. Morton’s crimes were vile and my only concerns are for his victims.”
Comment: Why the coup that never was could be exactly what Starmer needed
Tuesday 10 February 2026 21:00 , Maira ButtMaybe someone can help me here, but I’m just wondering what the leader of the Scottish Labour Party was doing when he decided to denounce the leader of the British Labour Party. Maybe Anas Sarwar will volunteer to again explain himself to the media. As things stand, the only grilling he’s had about his extraordinary outburst has come from the man he tried to oust, Keir Starmer.
Sarwar had the decency, if not the good sense, to call Starmer beforehand to tell him about his dramatic announcement to the media that Downing Street leadership must change, perhaps the first documented occasion when an assassin warned his victim in advance and yet still expected the desired result – the element of surprise being the deciding factor in the success of any such mission.
Sean O’Grady reports:
Why the coup that never was could be exactly what Starmer needed
Poll: If Sir Keir Starmer were forced to step aside, who should replace him as Labour leader?
Tuesday 10 February 2026 20:40 , Maira ButtFor now, there is no coordinated effort to remove Sir Keir, and allies insist the immediate danger has passed. But under Labour rules, it would take just one challenger to secure the backing of 20 per cent of MPs to trigger a leadership contest.
With senior figures increasingly being discussed as potential successors, the question is no longer unthinkable: if Sir Keir Starmer were forced to step aside, who should replace him as Labour leader?
Vote in our poll and let us know what you think in the comments below.
Lauren MacDougall reports:
Poll: If Starmer were forced to step aside, who should replace him as Labour leader?
Comment: The race to replace Keir Starmer is still on – and Angela Rayner is ready to strike
Tuesday 10 February 2026 20:20 , Maira ButtKeir Starmer fought back from the political equivalent of the intensive care unit yesterday, and tried today to tell people at a community centre in Hertfordshire that he was feeling fine.
His second speech of a lifetime in as many days – the first being his address to the parliamentary Labour Party on Monday – was not a wholly convincing performance, because it cannot have been obvious to the man in the Arsenal scarf in the audience what the “mandate” was that the prime minister would “never walk away” from. But he came across as someone who cared, and who was going to “fight for the millions of people who need us to fight for them”.
John Rentoul reports:
The race to replace Starmer is still on – and Angela Rayner is ready to strike
Why has Starmer's former comms chief refused the Labour whip?
Tuesday 10 February 2026 19:57 , Maira ButtLord Matthew Doyle has apologised for his past association with a paedophile councillor and said he will not be taking the Labour whip in a shock statement on Tuesday afternoon.
Former Labour councillor Sean Morton admitted having indecent images of children in November 2017.
Lord Doyle campaigned for Morton when he ran as an Independent in May 2017.
Lord Doyle said: “I want to apologise for my past association with Sean Morton. His offences were vile and I completely condemn the actions for which he was rightly convicted. My thoughts are with the victims and all those impacted by these crimes.
“At the point of my campaigning support, Morton repeatedly asserted to all those who knew him his innocence, including initially in court. He later changed his plea in court to guilty.
“To have not ceased support ahead of a judicial conclusion was a clear error of judgment for which I apologise unreservedly.”
Member of Scottish parliament loses whip over reported friendship with paedophile
Tuesday 10 February 2026 19:28 , Maira ButtPam Duncan-Glancy, a member of Scottish parliament, has had the Labour whip suspended over her alleged friendship with paedophile former councillor Sean Morton, according to Sky News.
A Labour spokesperson told the broadcaster: “All complaints are assessed thoroughly in line with our rules and procedures.”
It follows Lord Matthew Doyle’s suspension earlier this evening.
She had previously resigned from the Labour front bench in Holyrood.
The Independent has contacted Ms Duncan-Glancy for comment.
How Mandelson appointment nearly cost Starmer his job as UK prime minister
Tuesday 10 February 2026 19:20 , Maira ButtBritish Prime Minister Keir Starmer has faced the biggest crisis of his leadership because of his decision to appoint a close ally of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to the plum job of U.K. ambassador to the United States.
Many warned him not to appoint Peter Mandelson, a 72-year-old grandee of the Labour Party, to the job. Starmer, who never met Epstein, accepts that Mandelson's appointment was a mistake, and has apologized to Epstein's victims as well as to Labour and the country as a whole.
Starmer remains in office, but questions remain as to how long he can do so.
How one appointment nearly brought the demise of the prime minister:
How Mandelson appointment nearly cost Starmer his job as UK prime minister
Who is Matthew Doyle? Labour peer and ex-communications chief steps down
Tuesday 10 February 2026 19:00 , Maira ButtLabour announced on Tuesday evening that it had suspended Sir Keir’s former communications chief, Matthew Doyle, who the prime minister elevated to the House of Lords in December, over his links to a convicted paedophile, former councillor Sean Morton.
Downing Street admitted last year that Mr Doyle’s links with Morton were “thoroughly investigated” before he was nominated for a peerage, with several interviews taking place with Mr Doyle himself.
Lord Doyle, who worked for Sir Keir in opposition and entered Downing Street with him in 2024, campaigned for Morton when he ran as an independent in May 2017 – four months after Morton had appeared in court charged in connection with indecent child images.
He retains his peerage despite being stripped of the party whip. Lord Doyle has since revealed that he, too, had kept in contact with Morton, even after he was convicted.
Ministers warned not to follow Streeting and publish Mandelson messages
Tuesday 10 February 2026 18:37 , Maira ButtSir Keir Starmer has told ministers they should be “acting together” after they were warned not to follow Wes Streeting in publishing messages with Peter Mandelson amid a police investigation into alleged misconduct in a public office.
In a message to officials, the Cabinet Office is understood to have told members of Government that they should not share material that could be covered by a Commons motion forcing the release of documents relating to the peer’s appointment as US ambassador.
Scotland Yard warned that it is “vital due process is followed” so as not to jeopardise its probe following accusations the peer passed market-sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein in the 2000s.
On Monday the health secretary shared a transcript of messages, dated from August 2024 to October 2025 in which he said Labour had no growth strategy and referred to Israel as a “rogue state”.
Full story: Starmer plunged into fresh crisis as paedophile-linked peer and former comms chief suspended from Labour
Tuesday 10 February 2026 18:19 , Maira ButtSir Keir Starmer’s fightback against an attempted Labour leadership coup has been overshadowed by a fresh scandal involving one of his closest former aides.
Labour announced on Tuesday evening that it had suspended Sir Keir’s former communications chief, Matthew Doyle, who the prime minister elevated to the House of Lords in December, over his links to a convicted paedophile, former councillor Sean Morton.
The latest development will raise fresh questions over Sir Keir’s integrity and judgment, with echoes of the Peter Mandelson scandal, which has already cost him his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney and brought his premiership to the brink of collapse.
The Independent’s political editor David Maddox and Whitehall editor Kate Devlin report:
Starmer faces new crisis as paedophile-linked former comms chief suspended by Labour
Minister 'proud' of Starmer handling of Mandelson scandal
Tuesday 10 February 2026 18:03 , Maira ButtBaroness Chapman of Darlington told peers that it was a “bad decision” to appoint Lord Peter Mandelson to the position of US ambassador but that she was “proud” of Sir Keir Starmer’s handling of the situation.
“It’s a bad decision,” she said on Tuesday.
“Now, when you make a bad decision in life, especially when you’re the Prime Minister, you’ve got a choice.
“Some prime ministers have stood at the despatch box in the other place (Commons) and told barefaced lies about it.
“Ours didn’t, and I’m proud of him for that.”
Analysis: Starmer’s ‘put up or shut up’ message to his rivals is overshadowed by a new scandal
Tuesday 10 February 2026 17:45 , Maira ButtKeir Starmer is a prime minister who cannot catch a break, even as he breaks cover to launch a fightback to save his premiership.
Moments after he delivered a “put up or shut up” message to his critics and rivals in a moment of defiance over his future as prime minister, news broke that Lord Matthew Doyle, the man he chose as his first director of communications and then personally appointed to the Lords, has been suspended by Labour over links to a paedophile.
The latest chapter in this ongoing crisis for the prime minister, which comes as he tried to draw a line under the chaos within the party after the most turbulent day of his premiership so far, threatens to bring Starmer right back to the brink.
The Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports:
Starmer’s ‘put up or shut up’ message to his rivals is overshadowed by a new scandal
‘I would pack Starmer’s suitcase for him’: Disdain for Labour unites Gorton and Denton ahead of crucial by-election
Tuesday 10 February 2026 17:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneAway from internal bickering and scandal, Labour are gearing up to fight a crucial by-election in Gorton and Denton.
The seat was previously held by Andrew Gwynne, who retired on health grounds, a year after the ‘Trigger Me Timbers’ WhatsApp scandal cost him the party whip.
But voters now say they are considering moving away from the party and consider the choice to be between Reform and the Greens.
Reporter Dan Haygarth has been out and about in the constituency to speak to voters:
Disdain for Labour unites Gorton and Denton ahead of crucial by-election
Lord Doyle admits he had contact with Morton after sex offences conviction
Tuesday 10 February 2026 17:23 , Maira ButtLord Matthew Doyle has admitted he had contact with paedophile councillor Sean Morton after his conviction but that exchanges were “extremely limited”.
“Following his conviction any contact was extremely limited and I have not seen or spoken to him in years,” he said.
“Twice I was at events organised by other people, which he attended, and once I saw him to check on his welfare after concerns were raised through others.”
He said the latter was because: “I acted to try to ensure the welfare of a troubled individual whilst fully condemning the crimes for which he has been convicted and being clear that my thoughts are with the victims of his crimes. I am sorry about the mistakes I have made. I will not be taking the Labour whip.”
Lord Doyle's statement in full as he quits Labour Party
Tuesday 10 February 2026 17:15 , Nicole Wootton-CaneIn his statement on the Sean Morton row, Lord Doyle said: “Those of us who took him at his word were clearly mistaken.
“I have never sought to dismiss or diminish the seriousness of the offences for which he was rightly convicted. They are clearly abhorrent and I have never questioned his conviction.
“Following his conviction any contact was extremely limited and I have not seen or spoken to him in years. Twice I was at events organised by other people, which he attended, and once I saw him to check on his welfare after concerns were raised through others.
“I acted to try to ensure the welfare of a troubled individual whilst fully condemning the crimes for which he has been convicted and being clear that my thoughts are with the victims of his crimes.
“I am sorry about the mistakes I have made. I will not be taking the Labour whip.
“For the avoidance of any doubt, let me conclude where I started. Morton’s crimes were vile and my only concerns are for his victims.”
Starmer appointed Doyle to Lords despite knowledge of his past association
Tuesday 10 February 2026 17:05 , Nicole Wootton-CaneSir Keir Starmer nominated Lord Matthew Doyle for a peerage despite him having previously campaigned for a councillor charged with child sex offences.
Lord Doyle was nominated for a peerage by the prime minister in December.
Downing Street later admitted that Mr Doyle’s links with Sean Morton were “thoroughly investigated” before he was nominated for a peerage, with several interviews taking place with Mr Doyle himself.
You can read more below:
Keir Starmer gave peerage to former aide who campaigned for child sex offender
