These are desperate times for Sir Keir Starmerâs government, which faces annihilation in Thursdayâs elections. Some fear the wipeout could finish the Labour Party forever. But first, it will descend into a bloody civil war. The knives are coming off, and itâs going to be brutal.
Streeting has one good reason to act now. His two biggest rivals are grinding their teeth helplessly on the sidelines. One of them is Angela Rayner.
Red Ange is much-loved in the Labour Party. Among the wider electorate, not so much. Many swear that if she ever got the keys to No 10, it would mark the final humiliation of this once great nation.
The former deputy PM didnât do her cause any favours last week, after reports that she got âobliteratedâ in a Parliament bar. Apparently, she got so drunk at a late night session she walked into a door. Rayner denies it. The door hasnât commented.
Thereâs a hard-core âanyone but Angeâ element in the Labour Party. They fear Rayner could wreak havoc in No 10, and not just on the fixtures and fittings. But thatâs not the biggest hurdle she faces.
Rayner is spitting blood and feathers over HMRC. She wants it to speed up its investigation into her ÂŁ40,000 stamp duty swerve, which is proving a little too leisurely for her liking. Until it reports, she isnât fit to fight.
Angela Rayner calls for scrutiny into appointment of Mandelson
Rayner assumes sheâll be let off with a slapped wrist, and wants to take her punishment as soon as possible, so she can come out swinging. Her slack attitude to tax may have outraged the country, but the country doesnât get to vote this time.
But Rayner shouldnât blame HMRC. She should have paid the stamp duty. That may just have destroyed her shot at the dream job. If Streeting acts fast, her world could be blown apart.
She isnât the only one chafing at the bit. Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham canât muscle up either, because he isnât a PM. His team is desperately trying to find a safe seat for him. But even if a supportive MP steps down, Burnham faces another problem. Is any Labour seat safe these days?
Burnhamâs banking on his personal popularity to win a by-election. Weâll see. But this leaves two of the biggest guns in the Labour Party spiked for now.
Personally, I donât think Streeting has a chance. Too Blairite, too close to Peter Mandelson. Which leads to a frightening thought. If the left canât block him with Rayner or Burnham, theyâll have to try somebody else. And that only really leaves Ed Miliband. If heâs made PM, the nation would be splitting blood too.
