Labour has entered its musical chairs era. Don’t fall for another pointless death spiral | Nesrine Malik

<p>Briefing wars, toxic infighting, paranoid office politics: we’ve seen it all before. And once again, the drama at No 10 has absolutely nothing to do with us </p><p>Sorry, what just happened? Before we hurtle on to the next instalment of Labour government drama, let’s pause for a second to recap. So Keir Starmer’s allies briefed against Wes Streeting accusing him of plotting a leadership challenge, then Streeting denied the claims, and Starmer apologised for them, before belatedly claiming the briefing <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/nov/13/briefings-against-ministers-didnt-come-from-downing-street-says-starmer">had not come</a> from Downing Street at all. A<strong> </strong>claim so implausible that a <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/keir-starmer-believes-no-one-in-no10-briefed-against-wes-streeting-despite-apologising-for-the-briefings-against-him_uk_6915c7dce4b0295c356acea7?6ap">government source said</a> journalists “must have all been tricked by several impostors posing as No 10 staff”.</p><p>If this sounds farcical, vaguely embarrassing for all concerned and massively irrelevant to your life, you would be right. But in between the first chapter and the last (or perhaps the penultimate, given the<strong> </strong>aftershocks still reverberating through No 10), the episode acted as a masterclass in the patterns that define the stakes of British politics and characterise the stakeholders. It is also a portent of the future.</p><p>Nesrine Malik is a Guardian columnist</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/17/labour-briefing-office-drama-no-10">Continue reading...</a>