Wes Streeting resigns as Health Secretary: Watch Thursday’s ITV Lunchtime News
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has resigned, paving the way for a potential leadership bid against Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
In a letter to the prime minister, Streeting wrote: “Having lost confidence in your leadership, I have concluded that it would be dishonourable and unprincipled to do so [stay in post].”
He continued: “Where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift. This was underscored by your speech on Monday.
“Leaders take responsibility, but too often that has meant other people falling on their swords. You also need to listen to your colleagues, including backbenchers, and the heavy-handed approach to dissenting voices diminishes our politics.”
Referencing the disastrous defeat at last week’s election, Streeting said: “It is now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election and that Labour MPs and Labour Unions want the debate about what comes next to be a battle of ideas, not of personalities or petty factionalism.
“It needs to be broad, and it needs the best possible field of candidates. I support that approach, and I hope that you will facilitate this.”
It comes after he met with Starmer on Wednesday, in crunch talks that only lasted 16 minutes and seemed to have left the pair at a political impasse.
The health secretary has become the first of Starmer’s cabinet to launch a coup against him.
The PM has been facing headwinds within his own party since last week’s devastating results in the local, Scottish and Welsh elections.
Labour slumped to third place in Wales, suffered its worst ever result in Scotland, and lost hundreds of English Council seats to Reform UK.
In his resignation letter, Streting wrote: “Last week’s election results were unprecedented – both in terms of the scale of the defeat and the consequences of that failure.”
Starmer had attempted to reset his government on Monday with a speech where he promised sweeping reforms and plans to unify the nation.
Instead, he was met with four ministerial resignations and as many as 93 MPs either calling for him to go with immediate effect, or set out a timeline for his future departure. Either way, 22% of his own party want him gone.
Streeting’s resignation does not immediately trigger a leadership contest, with any MP wishing to do so needing the public backing of 81 Labour MPs to do so.
Allies of the former health secretary insist Streeting has these numbers, but until a contest is officially launched.