SIR Keir Starmer has laid down the law to his Cabinet amid weeks of Budget leaks and brutal infighting.
The Prime Minister’s indicated his patience was running out as “distractions” were blowing the government off course.
He said that voters were “rightly impatient” for change demanding results from his top team rather than “talk about ourselves”, Number 10 said.
The intervention came after plans for an income tax rise were abandoned following Labour infighting over the breaking the manifesto.
The PM was also attempting to end the party’s civil war after accusations Health Secretary Wes Streeting was plotting a leadership bid.
The warning shot at the weekly Cabinet meeting was set out by the PM who insisted the importance of the mandate was to “renew the country”.
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He added that recent chaos had seen “our focus shifted from where it mattered most” which was working for the public, Downing Street said.
In an attack on any Cabinet member thinking of attacking a colleague, the PM told them that they must be “working as one team”.
He also insisted that he would be leading Labour into the next election despite current dismal poll ratings.
But nearly half of all Labour voters want the PM out before the next election, according to the latest YouGov polling.
Some 23 per cent believe he should step aside now and another 22 per cent say he must walk away before the next election, which could be as late as 2029.
Many Labour MPs have privately said Sir Keir could face a challenge after council elections in May and votes for the Scottish and Welsh assemblies.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed defended the PM saying change will not happen overnight.
He told LBC Radio: “I think it’s understandable the public are not going to give this government the benefit of the doubt until there is change they can feel. We’re starting to see that happening.
He added: “But people want to see hard evidence of that and it will take time. We’ll keep on focusing on dealing with the cost-of-living crisis, fixing our public services.”