Wes Streeting slams ‘worst assault on a trustworthy since Joe Marler’ and denies taking pictures JFK
Health Secretary Wes Streeting, accused of plotting against Sir Keir Starmer, has gone on telly to deny the rumours – and killing former US President John F Kennedy… good to know, Wes
The UK’s Health Secretary bizarrely denied shooting JFK live on tv as he compared rumours he was plotting a coup against Sir Keir Starmer to wild conspiracy theories.
Wes Streeting raged at “self-defeating” rumours about a Labour leadership challenge and called for the beleagured PM to sack the people behind the late-night flurry of briefings as fears grow his job could be under threat after the upcoming budget. Asked if he would rule out demanding Sir Keir’s resignation after the Budget, Mr Streeting – born 20 years after the legendary US President was assassinated – told Sky News: “Yes, and nor did I shoot JFK.”
He told host Sophy Ridge: “I don’t know where Lord Lucan is, had nothing to do with Shergar, and I do think that the US did manage to do the moon landings. I don’t think they were faked, certainly not by me.”
Mr Streeting, who was doing the morning round of broadcast interviews on Wednesday, attacked a “silly Number 10 source”, suggesting they had been “watching too much Celebrity Traitors”.
He added: “This is just about the worst attack on a faithful I’ve seen since Joe Marler was kicked out and banished in the final. It’s totally self-defeating briefing, not least because it’s not true and I don’t understand how anyone thinks it’s helpful to the Prime Minister either.”
A spokesman for Mr Streeting was forced to deny reports that he has a group of some 50 Labour frontbenchers ready to walk away from Government should the November 26 financial statement land badly.
And he ripped in to those behind the briefings, which are said to be a ploy to “smoke out a potential leadership challenge”. A series of reports emerged in newspapers on Wednesday that sir Keir would fight any leadership challenge from Labour MPs.
Mr Streeting and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, seen as a rising star in the party, were among those touted as possible threats to Sir Keir as fears of a civil war within the party grew.
Mr Streeting went on: “I do think that going out and calling your Labour MPs feral is not very helpful.
“I do think that trying to kneecap one of your own team when they are out, not just making the case for the Government, but actually delivering the change that we promised, I think that is also self-defeating and self-destructive behaviour.”
JFK was assassinated in November 1962 as his presidential motorcade rode through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested and charged with his murder.
Two days later, Oswald himself was murdered by local nightclub owner Jack Ruby on live television in the basement of Dallas Police Headquarters as he was transferred to another jail.
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