The Health Secretary, who has long been tipped as a possible challenger, held a 16-minute crisis meeting with Keir Starmer on Wednesday morning as civil war engulfed the Labour Party
Wes Streeting has reportedly told allies he is preparing to resign from the government and trigger a leadership contest as soon as tomorrow.
The Health Secretary, who has long been tipped as a possible challenger, held a 16-minute crisis meeting with Keir Starmer on Wednesday morning as civil war engulfed the Labour Party. Over 80 MPs have publicly called on the Prime Minister to resign in the wake of last week’s election disaster.
Moments before the King’s Speech began, reports emerged in the Times that Mr Streeting has told allies he is preparing to walk. One said: “He is going to go for it. He’s going tomorrow.”
In order to trigger a contest for the Labour leadership 20% of the parliamentary party – 81 MPs – must nominate a challenger. Mr Starmer, as the incumbent, would be automatically on the ballot paper if he decides to fight in any contest.
A spokesman for the Health Secretary did not deny claims he was preparing to quit and trigger a contest when approached by The Mirror. The spokesman said: “Wes is the Health Secretary, he is proud of his record of falling waiting lists and a recovering NHS. He is not planning to say anything following his meeting with the Prime Minister that might distract from the King’s Speech.”
READ MORE: King’s Speech WATCH LIVE: Streeting ‘prepares to resign’ while Charles delivers major Starmer statementREAD MORE: All the Labour MPs calling for Keir Starmer to quit – find out if your MP is one of them
The Health Secretary failed to comment to journalists as he left Downing Street on Wednesday morning after talks billed as a chance to raise serious concerns about the direction of the party by his camp.
Labour’s warring factions had been expected to lay down their arms ahead of the King’s Speech today for fear of embarrassing the monarch with political infighting. But tensions threaten to erupt again once the pomp-filled ceremony ends.
Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds claimed the men were simply “having a coffee”, adding: “Anyone would think we were talking about the final scene at a Casino Royale or something, looking at some of the coverage that we’ve had.”
Mr Thomas-Symonds, a staunch ally of the PM, admitted things had been “turbulent” but said things were moving on as MPs had not united behind a successor. But in a significant blow to the PM’s authority, Labour’s union backers called for a plan to replace him before the next election.
The TULO group, which represents 11 affiliated unions including Unite, GMB and Unison, said Labour “cannot continue on its current path”.
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