Nigel Farage gives dire verdict on Keir Starmer as Labour civil war rages

Nigel Farage has warned that Sir Keir Starmer is "toast" after a Labour civil war erupted. The Reform UK leader said he believes the Prime Minister is in "very real trouble" after a briefing war in which his allies insisted he is ready to fight off challenges to his leadership.

Speaking on his GB News show, the Clacton MP said: "There are elements of what we saw over the last 24 hours that reminded me ever so slightly of the beginning of the rebellion against Boris Johnson. I don't think this is about policy or politics. I think it's about Starmer's personality.

"He's wooden, he doesn't connect with ordinary voters and ordinary people, he may be a perfectly decent human being, but he doesn't connect.

"So I want to ask you - is Starmer toast? I believe he is."

It comes after Sir Keir was forced to condemn attacks on Wes Streeting over claims the Health Secretary is plotting a leadership challenge.

The Prime Minister told MPs that he had "never authorised attacks" on Cabinet ministers.

Mr Streeting called for anyone behind the briefing against him to be sacked as he blasted the "toxic culture" around the No 10 operation, which focused fresh attention on the PM's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney.

The chaos comes as Labour's poll ratings have plummeted since the party's landslide General Election victory in July last year.

Meanwhile, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to rip up Labour's manifesto promise not to increase income tax in her Budget later this month.

And Labour MPs fear a bloodbath in elections next May in English councils and the Scottish and Welsh parliaments.