Westminster waits in frenzied limbo before Wes jumpstarts day of drama | John Crace

"Thursday was supposed to be a day of drama. When everything came to a head. It had not just been written in the stars, it had come pre-briefed from Wes Streeting's supporters. This would be the day he made his move against the prime minister. He had the requisite 81 Labour MPs behind him. Everything was in place. Nigel Farage had even postponed a speech in Sunderland. Never interrupt your enemies when they are making themselves look stupid."

"Though Nige might also have wanted to avoid questions on the 5m gift from a Thai crypto-billionaire. Come to think of it, he wouldn't have been best pleased that it emerged he had bought a 1.4m house around the same time, which he is now renting out. Still, I'm sure it has a Chubb lock, so no problems with Nige's security. Only, for the entire morning almost nothing happened. Everyone but Keir seemed to think Keir needed to go, but no one seemed to have a clue how to do it."

"Having put the government on hold for an entire week, having primed voters for the inevitability of a change of prime minister, they suddenly realised no one had scripted the denouement. The final act was missing. The protagonists were brandishing knives, bathed in blood and trying to pass themselves off as innocent bystanders. Still, we did learn that HMRC has a good sense of humour. Too often the taxman gets a bad rep, but first thing this morning Angela Rayner reve"

A dramatic day was expected to culminate in a leadership change, with political journalists and broadcasters pushing resignations and challenges. Keir was widely believed to need to go, and Wes Streeting’s supporters were said to have pre-arranged the moment, including claims of 81 Labour MPs ready to act. Nigel Farage was also portrayed as adjusting his schedule, while questions arose about his financial dealings. Despite the buildup, almost nothing happened for much of the morning because no one seemed to know how the change would be executed. After a week of priming voters for an inevitable prime minister switch, the denouement was missing, leaving the situation to unfold messily and with unexpected details involving HMRC.

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