Wes Streeting has said suggestions from the prime minister's allies that he is seeking to challenge for the leadership are "self-defeating nonsense" and has urged Sir Keir Starmer to sack whoever is briefing the media.
On Tuesday evening, friends of Sir Keir had told several news outlets his job might be under immediate threat and that they were particularly suspicious of Streeting's leadership ambitions.
Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday, the health secretary said he could "not see any circumstances under which I would do that to our prime minister".
He added that briefings to the press against him were "the worst attack on a faithful since Joe Marler was banished in The Traitors final".
"Someone has definitely been watching too much Celebrity Traitors. They should swap to Countryfile," he said.
