Streeting dismisses Labour leadership challenge rumours as ‘Celebrity Traitors’ fiction

Wes Streeting: Those spreading Labour leadership rumours have been watching too much Celebrity TraitorsSky News

Transcript

00:00You know, you'll forgive me for asking about the rumours of the coup.

00:04So what is going on?

00:06The allies, the PM, saying that if there's a leadership challenge

00:08after the budget, the PM will fight it.

00:10So is there a leadership challenge? What's happening?

00:12No, and I think whoever's been briefing this

00:14has been watching too much Celebrity Traitors,

00:16and this is just about the worst attack on a faithful I've seen

00:18since Joe Marla was kicked out and banished in the final.

00:22It's a totally self-defeating briefing,

00:26not least because it's not true.

00:27And I don't understand how anyone thinks it's helpful

00:31to the Prime Minister either to suggest he's fighting for his job

00:34at a time when, last time I saw him on Monday evening

00:37to talk about violence against women and girls and how we tackle it,

00:40he's fighting for the country and trying to turn it around

00:42from the absolute mess that we announced.

00:44So what's your message then to people who have been briefing this?

00:47What would you say to them?

00:48Well, firstly, I'd like to commend them for at least taking on board

00:51the feedback about sexist briefings, because we've seen this before.

00:55Lucy Powell, Bridget Philipson, Angela Rayner could go round

00:58pretty much the entire Cabinet table,

01:00so at least they're picking on one of the boys now.

01:03But in all seriousness, it doesn't help anyone.

01:06It's not true.

01:07And I think my frustration, actually,

01:10about the first, you know, almost 18 months we've been in government,

01:14there is a good story to tell about the change we're delivering,

01:17the promises we're keeping, the difference we're making.