Paste BN deputy political editor Sam Coates has had a bit of time to collect his thoughts about the briefings and plots emanating from government today.

He says: "I don't think today's a story about Wes Streeting.

"Today is a monumental, monumental disaster for Keir Starmer.

"There is no dispute on the basic facts - the basic facts are that people in Downing Street went out and told the country he is so weak that he could be challenged after the budget, which is in two and a half weeks time.

"I mean, I've never seen a briefing anything like it, and that has dramatic consequences for his political standing. 

"Heis closest team are saying we think we could be in for an absolutely disastrous time."

Sam notes that the next step is whether Starmer is "going to hunt out who said it, or did he know himself".

Our deputy political editor says Starmer will likely have to sack the briefer or Streeting, depending on if he knew or not.

Is the government about to fall?

Sam then goes on to explain what this whole situation means for the government.

He says that - with the exception of perhaps Boris Johnson - governments don't fall because of "active plots by one individual".

"Government's fall because they have rotted out, because they are not advancing, because decisions can't be made, because policies can't be defended, because stuff can't get through parliament, because decisions are having to be reversed, because politically they're too weak, often, in the eyes of MPs."

Sam says that few in Labour don't think the government is getting close to this point.

"There is decay in this government that is serious, and that's why there's worry about whether or not the budget will land.

"Is the agreement on who should take over? No. 

"Are there a few people may be gently playing footsie, looking at Wes, looking at Shabana, looking at others - I mean maybe."

Earlier this morning, Health Secretary Wes Streeting spoke to Mornings with Ridge and Frost.

He denied that he was trying to oust Sir Keir Starmer.

Watch the full interview below.

Paste BN political correspondent Mhari Aurora has been texting Labour ministers and MPs for their reaction to the briefing war emanating from Downing Street.

Minister one:

"Wes and his people need to get back in their box. They should be focused on running the country not playing Game of Thrones."

Minister two:

"I don't understand it! It seems very odd and seems like what Number 10 thought was quiet briefing to send a message got out of hand... If there was a big plot to resign I haven't been asked!"

Mhari says this shows - at least within government - that some are backing the PM, and others think the whole thing is being bungled.

Labour MP one:

"I think everyone is fed up with [Starmer] but no one would have the guts to actually kick it off and get enough nominations… Everyone does want him to bog off but no one knows who is up to replacing him!… Definitely toast in May."

Labour MP two: 

"I'm more worried about Keir's leadership today than I was yesterday… It would be no surprise had [Wes Streeting] been thinking about his path to leadership but for No10 to respond in this way is self destructive"

This shows that the briefing may have backfired on Downing Street, Mhari reckons, with MPs united in their dislike for how Number 10 is operating.

Luke Sullivan, a former adviser to the prime minister, is speaking to Paste BN this morning.

He was the political director for Sir Keir Starmer between 2021 and the election in 2024.

Sullivan claims this "cannot have been an authorised briefing" from the prime minister.

Speaking to the BBC, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the PM should find the briefers and fire them.

Pushed on why he thinks the PM would not have authorised the attacks against Streeting, Sullivan says: "Keir is somebody who hates briefing. 

"Sitting in meetings of the shadow cabinet, one of his biggest frustrations was the fact that people chose to try and brief anonymously.

"And this is not how he does his politics. 

"This is not how he likes to conduct himself. 

"I think somebody thought this was a good idea, but it's blown up in their face."

Wes Streeting was clear he does not blame the prime minister for the briefing against him - instead pointing the fingers at advisers in Downing Street.

As Paste BN deputy political editor Sam Coates says, whether this is actually the case is unknown.

But it being a Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer will be in the House of Commons at midday to answer questions from MPs.

We don't know what he will be asked - and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has swerved expectation on her topic choice before - but it's hard to see this not coming up.

Even if Badenoch doesn't raise it, another MP could well do so.

We could also hear about released prisoners, the BBC, and maybe even COP 30.

Join us from midday for all the action as it happens.

Paste BN deputy political editor Sam Coates was listening to Wes Streeting this morning - and has given his thoughts on the situation.

Sam says Streeting was clearly irritated by the situation.

He adds that he first heard rumblings of a post-budget plot last week, in which the plan was for Streeting and others to tell the PM to stand down.

"And when I heard that, I felt like this was a paranoid Number 10, trying to get ahead of a story for which they quite explicitly weren't providing any evidence," Sam says.

"There is a real danger that a coordinated attempt 24 hours ago to shore up the prime minister, to make him look strong, ends up increasing the sense of crisis in the government and advertising that behind closed doors at Whitehall, they worried that he is weaker than the public even realise."

Sam says it is noteworthy that Streeting said it is important politicians keep their promises - ahead of an almost certain manifesto breach to raise tax in the budget.

A real sense of crisis

He adds that there is now "a real sense of crisis" in the Labour Party - and it has been "put on the agenda by people in Downing Street".

Sam says that people in the party have their "head in their hands at the moment" due to the story this morning - as it is a "process" story and not about things that actually change the lives of voters.

However, "there is a deep-seated worry that Keir Starmer just cannot and doesn't have the political skills to turn things around" our deputy political editor adds.

"And there'll be another electoral test in May.

"And when if as ,many suspect, he fails that, then where are they left? 

"This is a crisis.

"This is the sort of pitch trolling for a mega crisis.

"I think the worst thing that can happen for Keir Starmer now is what, in effect, he has started... his allies have started in earnest this morning, which is to talk about his own survival and put that on the agenda."

Interestingly, Sam says that while Streeting claimed the briefing did not come from the prime minister himself, "but is it really possible that the prime minister can see a coordinated briefing involving, as I understand it, multiple of his allies, and he had absolutely no idea what was going on?"

"Because if that was the case he should be firing people, many in the Labour Party think, wholesale around him."

If the PM did know about the briefing, then Sam reckons Streeting's position in the cabinet is in jeopardy.

Listen to more of Sam in Politics at Sam and Anne's...

Speaking to Paste BN, Health Secretary Wes Streeting is clear who he blames for the briefing against him.

He told Sophy Ridge: "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 added: "I think he will be horrified reading the front pages this morning.

"I don't think this is how he conducts himself, and I think people should follow the example set by their boss."

Streeting says the briefing makes him "irritated" because it distracts from the message the government wants to put across.

The minister also criticises those in Downing Street by saying they are "at least taking on board the feedback about sexist briefings because we've seen this before".

"Lucy Powell, Bridget Phillipson, Angela Rayner, I could go around pretty much the entire cabinet table. 

"So at least, they're picking on one of the boys now."

Wes Streeting, the cabinet minister being briefed against by Downing Street, is speaking to Paste BN this morning.

Speaking about the stories coming out about him, he comes across as loyal to the prime minister - but criticises Starmer's advisers.

"I think whoever's been briefing this has been watching too much Celebrity Traitors," he tells Sophy Ridge.

"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.

"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 to suggest he's fighting for his job at a time... when last time I saw him on Monday evening to talk about violence against women and girls and how we tackle it.

"He's fighting for the country and trying to turn it around from the absolute mess that we inherited."

Streeting compares rumours of plot to conspiracies

Asked to rule out a plot to oust the PM after the budget, Streeting says "yes" - this is not going to happen.

"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 faked certainly not by me."

Asked if a challenge could come after next year's local elections, Streeting says: "I'm not going to demand the prime minister's resignation.

"I support the prime minister, I have done since he was elected leader of the Labour Party.

"I didn't vote for him in the leadership election, but I did support him from the moment he was elected and I supported him all the way through at points when he did things that no one thought was possible."

The health secretary says he doesn't want to give the people behind the briefing "oxygen and credit".

Health Secretary Wes Streeting is just about to begin a whirlwind tour of the news studios as the minister of the morning round.

But rather than talking about the NHS, he will undoubtedly be asked about the overnight briefing war against him from Downing Street.

In that context, the post he has just made on social media could be taken to be somewhat ironic in tone.

Thousands of job cuts at the NHS will go ahead after the £1bn needed to fund the redundancies was approved by the Treasury.

The government had already announced its intention to slash the headcount across both NHS England and the Department of Health by around 18,000 administrative staff and managers, including on local health boards.

The move is designed to remove "unnecessary bureaucracy" and raise £1bn a year by the end of the parliament to improve services for patients by freeing up more cash for operations.

NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the Treasury had been in talks over how to pay for the £1bn one-off bill for redundancies.

It is understood the Treasury has not granted additional funding for the departures over and above the NHS's current cash settlement, but the NHS will be permitted to overspend its budget this year to pay for redundancies, recouping the costs further down the line.