Wes Streeting denies plotting against PM and condemns No 10 bid to ‘kneecap’ him – UK politics live

8.56am GMT Streeting says Starmer will be 'horrified' by reports of No 10 briefing Wes Streeting told Sky News that he thought Keir Starmer would be “horrified” to read the front page reports this morning about the briefing coming out of No 10. He said that was not how Starmer conducted himself, and he said he thought people should follow the PM’s example. 8.43am GMT UK government borrowing costs rise slightly after reports suggest PM's position not secure UK government borrowing costs ticked higher this morning, as the price of gilts – UK government bonds – slipped in value amid speculation over a leadership challenge to Keir Starmer, PA Media reports. PA says: Yields on 10-year-gilts, which move counter to the price of the bonds, rose by 3 basis points to 4.42% in early trading. The yield on the longer-term 30-year-gilt also rose by a similar amount. The rise come after yields had dropped significantly on Tuesday after rising unemployment and falling wage growth prompted predictions of interest rate cuts. The value of the pound also moved 0.02% higher to 1.315 against the dollar. It came after a flurry of late-night briefings from No 10 in which allies of the prime minister came out fighting on his behalf amid fears his job could be under threat after the budget in two weeks’ time. 8.25am GMT Wes Streeting condemns No 10 bid to ‘kneecap’ him, denies plotting against PM, but says Labour needs 'culture change' Good morning. All governments are collections of people who don’t always agree, and don’t always get on, but who largely keep their disagreements in private. But sometimes the disputes get quite serious, and sometimes they become public. The Guardian is today leading on a report by Pippa Crerar, the political editor, who has discovered that Keir Starmer’s most senior aides are so worried that he could face an imminent leadership challenge that they have started briefing against potential rivals. Related: Starmer allies issue warning to PM’s rivals as fears grow over leadership challenge Starmer’s allies are saying that getting rid of the PM would be would be a “reckless” and “dangerous” move that could destabilise the markets, and they seem to be particularly worried about the threat from Wes Streeting, the health secretary. Some lobby stories like this, based on people speaking anonymously, get ignored, because other journalists either don’t believe them, or can’t stand them up. But this morning all other mainstream news organisations are following this story, and running it quite hard, because they know Pippa is right. Streeting has been doing a media round this morning. Here are some of the main things he said in his interview with Sky News. Streeting denied plotting to oust Keir Starmer. Asked if he was planning a leadership challenge, he replied: No, and I think whoever’s been briefing this has been watching too much Celebrity Traitors, and this is just about the worst attack on a faithful I’ve seen since Joe Marler was kicked out and banished in the final. He said that he would not challenge Starmer after the budget. Asked if he would rule out demanding Starmer’s resignation after the budget, he replied: Yes, and nor did I shoot JFK. I don’t know where Lord Lucan is, had nothing to do with Shergar, and I do think that the US did manage to do the moon landings. I don’t think they were fake. He claimed the Downing Street briefing against him was “totally self-defeating”. He said: It’s totally self defeating briefing, not least because it’s not true and I don’t understand how anyone thinks it’s helpful to the prime minister either … I do think that, you know, going out and calling your Labour MPs ‘feral’ is not very helpful. I do think that trying to kneecap one of your own team when they are out, not just making the case for the government, but actually delivering the change that we promised, I think that is also self-defeating and self-destructive behaviour. I also think whoever did this doesn’t speak for the prime minister. I speak for the prime minister. He said the No 10 briefing showed that Lucy Powell was right when she called for a change of culture in the Labour deputy leadership contest. When Lucy Powell stood to be deputy leader of the Labour Party and said there needed to be a culture change in how we lead and how the party is managed, I think she has been vindicated. Powell, who won, defeated Bridget Phillipson, who was seen as No 10’s preferred candidate. Powell stood after being sacked by Starmer from cabinet. Streeting has been doing a full interview round. I will post more from what he is saying soon. Here is the agenda for the day. 9.45am: Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dem deputy leader and Treasury spokesperson, gives a speech about her party’s budget proposals. Noon: Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at PMQs. After 12.30pm: MPs debate two Tory opposition day motions, one saying taxes should not go up in the budget, and another saying the government should remove green levies on energy bills. 1.45pm: Wes Streeting, the health secretary, gives a speech to the NHS Providers conference. If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (normally between 10am and 3pm at the moment), or message me on social media. 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