Starmer latest: Wes Streeting to visit PM for No 10 showdown over Labour division ahead of King’s Speech

Sir Keir Starmer is expected to hold talks with health secretary Wes Streeting this morning, one of his key rivals for the Labour leadership after four ministers resigned and more than 80 MPs called for the prime minister to quit.

The House of Commons will hold a ceremony for the King’s Speech before Charles sets out the government’s legislative agenda for the year ahead in the House of Lords.

The government will then debate the King’s Speech this afternoon.

Sir Keir Starmer is believed to have seen off an alleged coup by health secretary Wes Streeting, according to texts seen by the BBC from a cabinet minister.

The unnamed cabinet minister said, per the messages: “’I think we’ve seen off Wes, what a day.

“’I don’t see how Wes can stay in Cabinet with any self-respect after this fiasco.'”

Mr Streeting is expected to hold talks with the prime minister this morning after more than 100 MPs joined calls for Sir Keir to resign, according to The Times.

King Charles is set to lead a centuries-old tradition in parliament on Wednesday and deliver the King’s Speech in the House of Lords.

But following Keir Starmer’s leadership crisis, Buckingham Palace privately asked whether King Charles should proceed as planned.

It has been reported that the king’s team outlined to Starmer’s officials that the King should be kept out of the political crisis and not be used for political ends.

“The Palace view is ‘we do not want to be any part of this conversation — do not bring us into it,’” said one of the people familiar with the matter, according to Politico.

The King has been pleased to approve the following appointments:

• Nesil Caliskan MP as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
• Natalie Fleet MP as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Home Office
• Catherine Atkinson MP as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Ministry of Justice
• Preet Kaur Gill MP as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department of Health and Social Care
• Gen Kitchen MP as Comptroller of HM Household (Government Whip)
• Deirdre Costigan MP as Junior Lord of the Treasury (Government Whip)
• Shaun Davies MP as Assistant Whip, House of Commons

Labour MP Rupa Huq has denied signing a letter in support of the Prime Minister and said she was “surprised” to see her name on the list.

More than 100 MPs were listed on the letter, which said it is “no time for a leadership contest”, including Ms Huq, the MP for Ealing Central and Acton.

In a post on X, she said: “Surprised to see my name on this list when I haven’t either signed any letter supporting the PM or called for the PM to go??

“Not very courteous of colleagues to put names down without their approval.”

The approval ratings for Sir Keir Starmer’s government are sitting at just 14 per cent, new data shows.

Polling from YouGov suggests a disapproval rating of 70 per cent, up six per cent from last week’s survey.

Health secretary Wes Streeting is set to hold talks with the prime minister tomorrow morning, after more than 100 MPs have joined calls for Keir Starmer to quit.

He is expected to ask Starmer how he plans to “get us out of this mess” and talk about the “turbulence” that is gripping the Labour Party, The Times has reported.