Wes Streeting has spent the day facing down accusations of plotting against the prime minister, and has also taken a swing at the "juvenile" briefing that framed him as vying for the top job, as Sir Keir Starmer now faces civil war at the top of the Labour Party.
The prime minister told the Commons at lunchtime that the government is a "united team", and was forced to condemn the "completely unacceptable" briefings against his health secretary after 18 hours which saw Streeting put in the firing line.
The Ilford North MP – regularly referred to as one of the government's best communicators – was scheduled to do the morning media round ahead of a major NHS speech this afternoon, and therefore got the chance to tell Sky News: "I do think that 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," he said.
While the PM spent PMQs condemning the briefings, the health secretary got another bite of the cherry, telling health leaders at the NHS Providers' conference: "The bizarre thing about some juvenile briefing overnight is that it's people in Number 10 who've said the prime minister is fighting for his job.
"Now, I don't think that's firstly a helpful or constructive thing to say, and I also don't think it's true."
More from the nest of SW1's singing birds surely to follow…
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