Keir Starmer gets deadline to prove his government is not broken | Politics | News

Senior Whitehall figures have said Sir Keir Starmer has four weeks to clean up the mess in Downing Street or face a fierce public backlash.

The warning comes as the British president faces a political crisis over his acceptance of freebies, gifts and clothing donations, and a bitter briefing war rages between the top politicians in Downing Street, involving his controversial chief of staff, Sue Gray.

The approval ratings of the Prime Minister, who has only been in office since July, have already fallen to their lowest level.

An Opinium poll conducted on Saturday found he is now even more unpopular than his predecessor Rishi Sunak, with his net approval rating falling to -26.

This comes ahead of the Labour Party conference which begins today and offers Sir Keir the chance to refocus his leadership role.

A senior Whitehall politician told The Telegraph that the Prime Minister was running out of time to clean up the mess he had created.

They said: “If this is still the case in four weeks, then something is fundamentally wrong.”

“That will show how dysfunctional it is or whether it’s just growing pains that they need to get a handle on. Frankly, they haven’t handled it well.”

The well-connected source said the political workings of Downing Street must be put back in order before Rachel Reeves’ first autumn budget on October 30, otherwise his tenure as prime minister would be seriously damaged.

According to the source, the Prime Minister’s allies in Downing Street told him personally that he must intervene and “get the crisis under control” before it is too late.

Despite the uproar surrounding Sir Keir, a source at 10 Downing Street told the Telegraph the government was “laser focused” on its priorities, namely delivering for the British people.

The source said: “Whatever the noise, this government is fully focused on stabilising the economy and delivering the change that Britain voted for. Nothing will distract us from that task.”

In an interview with the British newspaper Observer, Sir Keir admitted that it was his “responsibility” to clear up the leaks that had turned his office upside down.

Earlier this week, a leak revealed that Sue Gray earns a salary of £170,000 – more than the Prime Minister himself.

There are also reports that 10 Downing Street is split into three rival camps led by Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keir’s chief political adviser, Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, and Ms Gray.

This week there has been speculation that Ms Gray might suddenly resign due to the public attention she has received as a result of the leaks and briefings.