Wes Streeting quits as Health Secretary and places Keir Starmer in huge bother
Health Secretary Wes Streeting resigned on Thursday afternoon and put Prime Minister Starmer in a very tricky position as it paves the way for a potential leadership challenge
Wes Streeting has resigned(Image: James Manning/PA Wire)
Wes Streeting has quit as Health Secretary, paving the way for a potential leadership challenge against Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
In his resignation letter to Sir Keir Starmer, Wes Streeting said “it is now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election”, adding “where we need vision, we have a vacuum”. Streeting is widely thought to be planning to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership.
In a letter to Sir Keir Starmer, Streeting wrote that while successes in improving NHS performance “are all good reasons for me to remain in post”, he added: “As you know from our conversation earlier this week, having lost confidence in your leadership, I have concluded that it would be dishonourable and unprincipled to do so.”
He went on: “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 to be the best possible field of candidates. I support that approach and I hope you will continue to facilitate it.”
Mr Streeting’s resignation follows days of turmoil in which calls have mounted for the Prime Minister to step down in the wake of Labour’s election mauling last week.
It could fire the gun on a leadership contest in which Angela Rayner has also indicated she could run, with other possible contenders including Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, armed forces minister Al Carns and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
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