Richard Holden has denied that Sir Keir Starmer is in a stronger position going into PMQs today than he was on Monday.

Asked whether the PM is now in a period of relative safety, the shadow transport secretary tells Paste BN: "I think the only reason we've not seen him go is because, actually, there are some people in the Labour Party who fancy the job for themselves, who at the moment are trying to work out their own positions and get themselves in the best position to take over."

He explains: "Angela [Rayner] has still got all those issues with her tax and HMRC to clear up. Wes's relationship with Lord Mandelson is all over the front pages today - obviously he wants to see that story move on. 

"[There are] others who generally want to see Starmer take the heat for the local elections and the by-election coming up.

"Actually we're left there with a prime minister in office but not in power while they all jockey for position."

He says this means we could not have a new PM for eight or nine months - during which time "businesses really find it troubling".

Challenged that businesses were in the same position when the Tories kept swapping leaders - there were three PMs in 2022 - the shadow minister responds: "Let's be very clear. We back the high street. We had massive cuts to business rates, which we carried on from the pandemic all the way through. We were going to cut National Insurance. Labour have put it up. 

"The difference is that when it comes down to it, we're prepared to take the difficult decisions the country needs, like wanting to control welfare. Labour just aren't prepared to do that."

Asked who the Tories are most worried about having to fight in a leadership election, he responds: " I don't think there's anybody who I'm particularly fearful of."

Daisy Cooper has announced that she would scrap the Treasury as a government department if elected.

The deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats says her party would replace it with a new "Department for Growth", based in Birmingham.

She explained: "The Treasury does too much. Fiscal policy, economic policy and controlling government spending. In most other countries, these roles are split up.

"The Treasury enables governments to go for short-term tax grabs that suit political cycles over the need for long-term growth. 

"And the Treasury is disconnected from the real economy. Despite holding all the economic power, the Treasury isn't responsible for policies on business or trade.

"In short, the Treasury is over centralised it drives short-term thinking, and it simply isn't designed to deliver the long-term economic growth that we need."

Announcing the changes the Lib Dems would introduce, Cooper said the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) would be "merged into this new growth department, recognising the central role of British business in driving growth".

Cooper, the party's Treasury spokesperson, added:"A smaller department for public expenditure would be set up to oversee departmental spending and ensure value for money."

She added that this would improve investment in the NHS, renewable energy and defence, make economic growth a priority and "get Britain growing again".

Cooper says the new department could boost UK-EU relations, raise "around £25bn a year to fix public services and the cost of living crisis", and reset the relationship between the government and business.

Explaining the decision to put the new department in Birmingham, she says closing the UK's second-biggest city's productivity gap with London would add around £12bn a year to the economy.

The health secretary has hit out at a front page which suggests he still intends to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership.

This morning, The Guardian splashes with the headline: "Streeting still intent on deposing PM despite united front, say allies"

The paper reports that "MPs who are close to the health secretary insists he still wants to replace Starmer and is willing to stand against him as soon as the afternoon of the Gorton and Denton by-election this month".

It also says another MP has suggested that told the paper that Streeting must challenge Starmer immediately after the local elections in May.

But this has led to furious denials from the cabinet secretary.

Writing on X, Streeting said: "The Guardian did not approach me or my team with these claims.

"Had they done so, I would have said this is categorically untrue."

As our deputy political editor Sam Coates reports, Streeting is under fire from allies of the PM, who believe his support for the PM on Monday was tepid. 

When Starmer was at his peak moment of danger, the health secretary told Paste BN the PM should not resign. 

He said: "It has not been the best week for the government. That's not just Keir Starmer, that's all of us because we're a team.

"Let's give Keir the chance [to turn it around]. Let him set out how he's going to lead us forward."

These comments have been by some as too lukewarm and not matching the enthusiastic messages of support from other cabinet ministers.

 Allies of Sir Keir Starmer are said to be "more cross with Wes Streeting than ever", our deputy political editor Sam Coates says.

Speaking on the Politics at Sam and Anne's podcast, Sam says they believe the health secretary is working to undermine the PM.

He explains: "They picked up on his mealy-mouthed backing of the prime minister - the 'give Keir a chance' line from Monday's Sky interview. 

"They also said that even friends are trying to convince Wes to calm down. There's an attempt by Keir's allies to make Wes look a little isolated at the moment, as well as a hothead who, if he can't sort of deal with the forces around him, how on earth is Wes Streeting going to deal with President Putin? 

"We're reaching for those kinds of lines of attack at the moment."

A nudge to the left for Starmer

The PM is "on borrowed time", Sam adds - saying he has "no doubt in my mind" that Starmer is on his way out. 

But he adds: "So long as he remains in place, there's a secondary battle going on, and that's to try and nudge Keir Starmer a bit to the left. 

"There is an attempt by some people to try and sort of take aim at, if not the sort of Blairite voices, but the voices on the right of the Labour Party that have been in ascendancy when Morgan McSweeney was in charge and now look like they're a little bit all over the shop. 

"I think that's what's going on as well."

You can listen to today's episode in full below...

The defence secretary will announce today that the UK is to double the number of troops in Norway, and that Britain's armed forces will join NATO's Arctic Sentry mission.

John Healey will use a visit to Camp Viking in the Arctic Circle, he will confirm that troop numbers in Norway will rise from 1,000 to 2,000 over three years.

The cabinet minister will also say the UK will "play their part" in NATO's new mission, and will join EU defence ministers at NATO HQ in Brussels tomorrow to discuss proposals. 

It's yet a further commitment to bolstering security in the High North, as the government warns that the threat from Russia is growing.

Healey said: "Demands on defence are rising, and Russia poses the greatest threat to Arctic and High North security that we have seen since the Cold War. 

"We see Putin rapidly re-establishing military presence in the region, including reopening old Cold War bases. 

"Cold Response and Lion Protector will this year see thousands of troops deploy across the Arctic and North Atlantic – with the UK leading the way. 

"We train together, we deter together, and if necessary, we will fight together."

Lion Protector will see air, land and sea forces train together to protect critical national infrastructure in September. Meanwhile, Cold Response will see 1,500 Royal Marine Commandos deploy to Norway in March, which will prepare troops to defend strategically important locations across fjords and mountains.

Georgia Gould says discovering more about Peter Mandelson's alleged behaviour through document releases by the US Department of Justice has been "deeply painful".

The junior education minister says she knew Lord Mandelson "my whole life" as he was a "good friend of my father's".

She tells Paste BN: "I have been completely shocked by what has come out. I know that my dad, who's no longer alive, would have been too. 

"He is someone who I thought of as a public servant. And I could not believe when I read some of the things that have come out, when the whole government needed to be focussed at that time on the huge challenge that you face, to be passing information in that way, it is deeply painful to see what has emerged."

Mandelson is alleged to have tipped disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein off about a massive EU bailout before it happened while business minister and shared other confidential information while in government. 

His close friendship with the paedophile led to his sacking as US ambassador in September, by Sir Keir Starmer.

Gould adds: "I feel deeply saddened by it. I feel that we are all getting up every day to serve a country, to make a difference. The prime minister does. That's what I do and for this to have happened - it has been very painful."

Starmer has experienced the most bruising week of his premiership due to revelations about Mandelson and his decision to appoint him as ambassador last year.

This has led to the loss of his chief of staff on Sunday, and the PM almost lost his own job on Monday - but survived, thanks to the backing of his cabinet.

Mandelson has denied all wrongdoing, but has apologised for maintaining his friendship with Epstein for so long.

Georgia Gould has refused to say if the prime minister's former communications chief should lose his peerage over connections to a convicted paedophile. 

The education minister is speaking to Paste BN after Matthew Doyle had the Labour whip withdrawn for his connections to Sean Morton.

Morton was charged with possessing indecent images of children in 2016 and later admitted sex offences. 

But Doyle campaigned with Morton after he was charged. 

Yesterday, Doyle had the whip withdrawn. 

Asked if he should also be stripped of his peerage, Gould tells Paste BN: "I think Keir Starmer has acted to remove the Labour whip from Matthew Doyle. And there is a Labour Party investigation going on into this, and you know, and that process is going to conclude."

But challenged again for what she thinks, Gould insists the investigation means she shouldn't say either way. 

"But the prime minister said on Monday night that we want to ensure the highest standards in public life," she adds. 

"He's gone back and looked at this appointment, he's taken action to withdraw the whip."

Doyle was only introduced to the Lords last month, and his appointment was queried by Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch last week.

'Number Ten did not know before they made the decision to give him the peerage'

Pushed that Downing Street knew Doyle had campaigned for Morton before he was given a peerage, the junior minister disagrees.

But our lead politics presenter Sophy Ridge points out it was on the front page of The Sunday Times.

Gould replies: "I think the decision, the announcement was made on the 10th of December, I think the story was later in the month. 

"But I think the prime minister has looked at this afresh, given the commitments that he has made to ensure the highest standards in public life and, and he's taken action."

She also insists the government is taking tackling child abuse "incredibly seriously" and suggests it is the PM's "lifelong work", pointing to his time as the director of public prosecutions.

"No one is harder on themselves than the prime minister," she adds. "But he's clear that things need to change. Vetting has to be better."

 Sir Keir Starmer remains in a "weak position", despite his strong message insisting he will remain as prime minister and Labour leader.

That's the analysis of our political editor, Beth Rigby, following Starmer's comments to journalists on Tuesday afternoon.

She says Starmer has made it "clear that he will not stand down" - but adds that he "does not want to get into a row with anyone".

That is why he has resisted explicitly criticising Health Secretary Wes Streeting for publishing his messages with Lord Mandelson, despite warnings for ministers not to do so.

It is perhaps also why the PM lavished Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar with praise, despite Sarwar's recent call for Starmer to resign.

"He has just come through the most perilous moment of his premiership, and he's determined to press on for now," Beth says.

You can watch her full analysis below...

Welcome back to the Politics Hub on Wednesday, 11 February. 

Sir Keir Starmer will face Kemi Badenoch at PMQs this lunchtime, in what is proving to be a bruising week for the prime minister. 

Speaking at a cost of living event on Tuesday lunchtime, the PM joked, "it's been a long week".  Here's a recap.

On Sunday, his chief of staff resigned. Morgan McSweeney was then followed out No 10 by Starmer's director of communications Tim Allan the next day. 

That led to the most perilous moment of the PM's premiership as Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar called for him to quit. But Starmer was saved when his cabinet decided to rally round.

Having steadied the ship yesterday, the PM saw it rocked again, as his former comms chief Matthew Doyle - only introduced to the Lords last month - had the Labour whip suspended for his connections with a child sex offender.

It means there's plenty to go at again for Sir Keir's opponents in the final PMQs before the February recess, which begins tomorrow.

Elsewhere in Westminster today, the Liberal Democrats say they will be making a major economic announcement at a news conference this morning.

Daisy Cooper, the party's Treasury spokesperson, will be leading the event in central London.

Meanwhile, the government would rather the media concentrated on its plans to double troop numbers in Norway over the next three years and play a major part in NATO's Arctic Sentry mission, a decision that's been announced by Defence Secretary John Healey overnight. 

It's all part of efforts to counter Russian threats in the High North. 

Plus, ministers are hoping to discuss the government's plan to ensure every secondary school in England and Wales has an "inclusion base" - a safe space for children with additional needs.

Coming up on Paste BN shortly:

• Georgia Gould, education minister
• Richard Holden, shadow transport secretary
• Sir Peter Westmacott, former ambassador to the US

We'll bring you all the updates throughout the day, right here on the Politics Hub.

That's it for today in the Politics Hub.

Join us again in the morning.