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"This has not been our finest 24 hours in government," a senior figure within the administration acknowledged following political attacks from multiple sides, partly public, plenty more behind closed doors.

This unfolded with undisclosed contacts to the media, including myself, that Keir Starmer would fight any attempt to replace him - while claiming cabinet ministers, particularly the Health Secretary, were considering challenges.

Streeting maintained his commitment stood to the PM and called on those behind these reports to be sacked, and the PM declared that negative comments against cabinet members were considered "inappropriate".

Questions concerning whether the Prime Minister had authorised the original briefings to flush out potential challengers - while questioning those behind them were operating with his awareness, or endorsement, were added amid the controversy.

Was there going to be an investigation into leaks? Would there be sackings at what Streeting called a "hostile" Downing Street operation?

What were those close to the prime minister hoping to achieve?

This reporter has been numerous conversations to piece together the true events and where this situation leaves Keir Starmer's government.

Stand two key facts central to this situation: the administration faces low approval and so is Starmer.

These facts are the driving force behind the persistent conversations circulating about what the party is attempting to address it and what it might mean concerning the timeframe the Prime Minister carries on in Downing Street.

But let's get to the aftermath of this mudslinging.

The Reconciliation

The prime minister and Health Secretary Wes Streeting spoke on the phone on Wednesday evening to patch things up.

I hear Starmer said sorry to the Health Secretary in the brief call while agreeing to speak in further detail "in the near future".

Their discussion excluded McSweeney, the prime minister's chief of staff - who has turned into a lightning rod for negative attention ranging from opposition leader Badenoch publicly to Labour figures both junior and senior confidentially.

Generally acknowledged as the mastermind of the political success and the strategic thinker guiding the PM's fast progression following his transition from Director of Public Prosecutions, McSweeney also finds himself the first to face criticism when the government operation appears to have stuttered, stumbled or outright failed.

McSweeney isn't commenting to media inquiries, while certain voices demand his head on a stick.

His critics argue that within the Prime Minister's office where McSweeney is called on to make plenty of big political judgements, he should take responsibility for these developments.

Alternative voices from assert no-one who works there was behind any briefing targeting a minister, post the Health Secretary's comments those accountable ought to be dismissed.

Consequences

In No 10, there is a tacit acknowledgement that the Health Minister handled a series of planned discussions on Wednesday morning professionally and effectively - despite being confronted by persistent queries about his own ambitions since those briefings about him came just hours before.

According to certain parliamentarians, he exhibited flexibility and knack for communication they hope the PM demonstrated.

Additionally, observers noted that at least some of the leaks that aimed to support Starmer resulted in a platform for Streeting to say he supported the view of his colleagues who characterized Downing Street as hostile and discriminatory while adding the sources of the briefings must be fired.

A complicated scenario.

"My commitment stands" - Wes Streeting rejects suggestions to oppose the PM for leadership.

Government Response

The PM, I am told, is extremely angry at how all of this has developed and is looking into how it all happened.

What seems to have malfunctioned, from No 10's perspective, involves both quantity and tone.

Firstly, officials had, maybe optimistically, thought that the leaks would produce certain coverage, rather than continuous leading stories.

It turned out considerably bigger than expected.

I'd say a prime minister letting this kind of thing become public, by associates, less than 18 months after a landslide general election win, was always going to be leading top of bulletins stuff – as it turned out to be, on these pages and others.

Furthermore, concerning focus, sources maintain they didn't anticipate so much talk concerning Streeting, that was subsequently significantly increased by all those interviews he had scheduled the other day.

Alternative perspectives, admittedly, concluded that exactly that the purpose.

Wider Consequences

It has been further period during which Labour folk in government discuss learning experiences and among MPs many are frustrated regarding what they perceive as an unnecessary drama unfolding forcing them to firstly witness and then attempt to defend.

Ideally avoiding these actions.

But a government along with a PM whose nervousness about their predicament surpasses {than their big majority|their parliamentary advantage|their