How Civil War Gripped The Labour Party And Left MPs Asking: 'How Long Can Starmer Survive?'

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks at a civil society summit in London, Thursday, July 17, 2025.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool)A famous GIF has been doing the rounds on Labour WhatsApp groups in the last couple of weeks.Taken from a comic strip by KC Green, it shows a dog called Question Hound sitting at a table with a cup of coffee, ignoring the fact that the room he is sitting in is on fire. Above him is the legend ‘THIS IS FINE’.For many Labour MPs, the image perfectly sums up No.10′s attitude towards the multiple crises facing the government.It is less than a fortnight since Keir Starmer launched “phase two” of his government with a major shake-up of his No.10 team.In an accompanying video posted on X, the prime minister said the government was going into the new parliamentary term “in good spirits, confident and with conviction”.Since then, the PM has lost his deputy, been forced into a major cabinet reshuffle and had to sack the UK ambassador to Washington he personally appointed against the advice of Foreign Office officials.Clearly, things in No.10 are very far from fine.The 'this is fine' gif is doing the rounds in Labour circles.Multiple Labour MPs contacted by HuffPost UK say morale among their colleagues is through the floor, with the PM’s own future now being openly discussed.One told HuffPost UK: “He’s completely lost the dressing room. His own position is in question now as well. The sooner we address it the better.“We’ve got a prime minister who hasn’t got a clue about politics. The sooner we grasp that nettle on his leadership the better, because we need two or three terms of Labour government to turn this country around.”The vast majority of Labour MPs see next May as the moment of maximum danger for Starmer. Elections for the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Senedd and councils across England on May 7 could well be disastrous for Labour, and provide further evidence that the Reform surge is not a mirage.“He’s in a lot of trouble if things have not improved significantly by then,” said one Labour insider.The chances of that happening seem remote. When parliament rose for six weeks in July, Labour MPs were told to take a fortnight off and spend the rest of their time meeting their constituents.“The voters were saying we like you personally, but we hate Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves,” said a source. “That has simply added to the feeling of absolute despair.”Some even talk about the PM being gone by the end of the year, although given the Labour Party’s less-than-stellar record of getting rid of underperforming leaders, this does seem to be wishful thinking on their part.But one Labour veteran pointed out: “If you get a large enough number of MPs saying you’ve got to go, his position will become untenable.”It is not just the PM’s position which is up for debate, however. Many believe the next person shown the door should be his chief of staff and long-time adviser, Morgan McSweeney.He is being blamed by many for a reshuffle which, if anything, has simply made the mood in the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) even more sulphurous.“Even some of the ministers who got promotions are angry,” said one source.A former frontbencher said: “We are losing our core vote. The threat from Reform is alive and well in my part of the world, but it’s to the left where we are just as vulnerable.“We are narrowing the party in such a way that makes sustaining ourselves in government nigh on impossible. It could lead to the complete collapse of the party - this is existential.”It is widely believed that Lucy Powell and Ian Murray were sacked from the cabinet because they had previously crossed McSweeney, whose influence over Starmer is enormous.Following a backlash from MPs, No.10 was forced to make Murray a junior minister in two different departments just 24 hours after announcing his departure from government.Powell could yet get her revenge on Starmer and McSweeney by being elected Labour’s deputy leader, one of the posts vacated last week by Angela Rayner.The decision to make Imogen Walker – McSweeney’s wife – a government whip has also gone down badly, not least because she has been joined by Gregor Poynton and Jack Richards, respectivelty the husband and brother of Starmer’s new political director, Amy Richards.“It’s like the Politburo,” said one Labour frontbencher. “You should be able to have a quiet word with the whips about any concerns you have about the PM. How can we possibly do that now?”But it is McSweeney’s involvement in the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the UK ambassador to America that has put his position most at risk. It could lead to the complete collapse of the party - this is existential A close ally of the Labour peer, McSweeney was the driving force behind the controversial move, despite concerns being raised about Mandelson’s past friendship with the convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein.Senior Labour sources have also told HuffPost UK that McSweeney was opposed to his sacking, even when emails revealed Mandelson told Epstein “your friends stay with you and love you” as he was facing child underage sex charges in 2008.Allies of the chief of staff insist he ultimately backed Starmer’s decision to dispense with Mandelson’s services, but the influential role in played in the initial appointment is another black mark against his for many MPs.One said: “McSweeney sees himself as a political svengali, but he needs to give his head a shake.”Others, however, believe it’s too late for that. “I’m not sure he can survive this time – there’s no one left to blame,” said an MP.A senior No.10 source told HuffPost UK: “What the PLP really want is for the government to start delivering and that’s what we’re focused on.“Were humble enough about the things we haven’t done right, but there’s lots more to come and we have to get on and do it.”One Labour figure said it was far too early to be talking about Starmer leaving Downing Street. He said: “The one thing Keir is very good at is self-preservation.”Nevertheless, a growing number of Labour MPs believe it will soon be time for someone other than Starmer to be getting on with the job.Related...Will Labour's Deputy Leadership Race Be A 'Proxy War' Between Keir Starmer And Andy Burnham?Peter Mandelson Has Gone – But Questions About Keir Starmer's Own Future RemainPeter Mandelson's Time In Washington Appears To Be Coming To An End. That's A Disaster For Keir Starmer

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