'Starmer and Streeting set for showdown' and 'Crisis? What crisis?'
For the second day in a row, every paper leads on the future of Sir Keir Starmer's premiership. "Starmer throws down gauntlet to rivals" says the Financial Times, reporting the prime minister was still "clinging to power" on Tuesday evening, after he challenged his rivals to mount a leadership bid on a day of ministerial resignations. The paper adds that Sir Keir's supporters believe he has headed off a challenge from Health Secretary Wes Streeting who, it says, has not gained the support of the 81 MPs needed to launch a rival bid.
The Guardian is in agreement, saying that Sir Keir is "increasingly confident" that he has seen off the immediate threat to his leadership after Streeting failed to raise a formal challenge on Tuesday. The health secretary is due to meet the PM on Wednesday, where he is expected to talk candidly about his concerns regarding the Labour Party.
Several papers have homed in on the "No 10 showdown" between Sir Keir and Streeting, including the Times. The pair are pictured side by side on the front page of the paper, which reports that the "summit" is due to take place in Downing Street in the hours before the King's Speech. It is not clear whether Streeting will formally call for Sir Keir to set out a timeline for his departure, the Times says.
Similarly, the Telegraph leads with "Streeting to confront Starmer". It notes that despite telling ministers at Tuesday's "tense" Cabinet meeting that he would discuss the leadership crisis in private, Sir Keir refused to speak to Streeting at No 10 in the hours that followed. The paper also highlights concerns in Westminster that the "chaos" in government could overshadow the speech on Wednesday and embarrass King Charles III.
"Crisis? What crisis?" quips the Sun, echoing a phrase associated with a past Labour prime minister, James Callaghan, during the "Winter of Discontent" of 1979. The paper says Sir Keir has tried to "shrug off mutiny" in the Labour Party. Like many of the other papers, it also previews his "crunch talks" with Streeting on Wednesday, which it also describes as a "showdown".
"Starmer fights on" declares the Mirror, writing that 110 backbenchers and aides have signed a letter in support of Sir Keir, despite four ministerial resignations on Tuesday.
The i Paper says a "defiant" Sir Keir told cabinet rebels to "put up or shut up" in a contentious meeting on Tuesday. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy also appealed to Labour MPs on behalf of Downing Street, the paper says, urging them to step back and "take a breath". It comes as the UK long-term borrowing costs hit their highest level since 1998, with the i suggesting that bond markets are punishing the UK for the political turmoil.
"Number 10 Doubting St" says the Metro, focusing on the resignations of Jess Phillips, Alex Davies-Jones, Zubir Ahmed and Miatta Fahnbulleh on Tuesday. The paper adds that if Sir Keir was to step down, the UK would be facing its fifth prime minister in four years.
The Express leads with a comment piece from its political editor, Martyn Brown, who says Sir Keir must resign for the "good of the nation and the millions of people he represents". He writes that every minute the prime minister spends "holed up inside No 10" is a minute wasted, insisting he must do right by the British electorate and stand aside.
The Daily Mail's headline reads: "Paralysed by Labour chaos". The paper features an "inside look" on "24 hours of madness" in No 10, as Sir Keir "digs in his heels".
The Daily Star makes a joke around the idea of a "zombie parliament" if Sir Keir does not step down. The paper's front page pairs a graphic of the prime minister battling the undead with the headline "The Talking Dead".
