The former health secretary has indicated his intention to stand to become the next leader of the Labour Party and made a speech nearly 10 years after the vote to leave the EU
Wes Streeting speaking at the Progress Conference(Image: Jeff Moore/PA Wire)
Former health secretary Wes Streeting, who has indicated his intention to stand to become the next leader of the Labour Party, has said Britain should re-join the European Union. The Member of Parliament for Ilford North, who recently resigned from his position in prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet, with what is widely anticipated to lead up to a leadership challenge.
The United Kingdom officially left the European Union on January 31, 2020, which Mr Streeting said has left the country “less wealthy, less powerful and less in control.”
Speaking at the Progress think tank’s conference in London on Saturday, Mr Streeting was asked if he would run in a contest to succeed the Prime Minister, he also said: “Leaving the European Union was a catastrophic mistake. The Vote Leave campaign deluded itself into thinking the UK could forge free trade nirvana, as if we still had the east India company at our disposal.” Stay in the know by making sure you’re receiving our daily newsletter.
Adding: “They were totally blind to the zero-sum world the extreme right and their fellow travellers were creating. A dog-eat-dog world of dictators and oligarchs where middle powers going it alone is a fantasy.
“It’s left us less wealthy, less powerful, and less in control that at any point before the industrial revolution.
“We can no longer afford to be silent about it. We must remake the argument. In 2026, the British people increasingly see that in a dangerous world we must club together, both to rebuild our economy and trade and improve our defence against the shared threats from Russian aggression and the retreat of America first.
“The biggest economic opportunity we have is on our doorstep. We need a new special relationship with the EU, because Britain’s future lies with Europe, and one day back in the European Union.”
It was his first public appearance since resigning as health secretary, and he set out a fledgling policy platform for a run at the Labour leadership.
He said Britain must pursue a “new special relationship” with the European Union and signalled he wanted to see the country rejoin the trade bloc in the future.
Mr Streeting is among the senior Labour figures to call for a debate over the future of the party’s soul, amid the crisis that has engulfed it after a bruising set of election results across England, Scotland and Wales.
His intervention comes after Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham was cleared to run for selection to be the candidate in the Makerfield by-election.
Mr Burnham has said he is prepared to “fight to the highest level”, as he and other senior Labour figures jostle to lead the party in the future.
Mr Streeting also said he did have enough support among MPs to trigger a contest, but suggested his challenge would “lack legitimacy” without Mr Burnham being given a chance to return to Parliament.
“That might have been the self-interested thing to do for candidates who are in Parliament presently, but it wasn’t in the party’s interest and wasn’t in the national interest,” he added.
On Friday night, Mr Burnham was granted permission by Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), to stand in the selection process for the Makerfield by-election.
Mr Streeting was among those who have backed Mr Burnham’s bid to fight the impending by-election, which was triggered when Josh Simons announced he would down as an MP to give Mr Burnham a chance to return to Parliament.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester told Channel 4 News on Saturday morning he was focused on winning a seat in Parliament, rather than ousting Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.
“It’s just not the issue. The issue is winning. Winning a by-election with what I’m saying, you know, it’s not about, you know, necessarily the next thing,” he said.
But Mr Burnham said he had “made a whole career fighting for people in this part of the world”, later adding: “I’ve taken that fight to another level as mayor and yes, I will carry on taking that fight to the highest level.”
A “big change moment is needed” in British politics, he also said, following a bruising set of elections for Labour in England, Scotland, and Wales.
Mr Burnham elsewhere told the BBC he wants to run in the Makerfield by-election to “save” Labour.
He said Labour must acknowledge it has “not been good enough” and “requires a lot of change”.
“We’ve got to see this as a moment to reclaim the Labour Party, to save it from where it’s been. We can’t just carry on as we are,” he said.
A Labour leadership contest is not yet taking place, as the internal party process which would lead to one has not been triggered.
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