In his first Commons intervention since quitting Keir Starmer’s Cabinet as Health Secretary last week, Wes Streeting said it was an ’emotional wrench’ to leave the government
Wes Streeting has warned Labour is losing the fight against nationalism and risks handing the keys to No10 to Nigel Farage unless “we change course”
In his first Commons intervention since dramatically quitting Keir Starmer’s Cabinet last week, the ex-Health Secretary said it was an “emotional wrench” to leave the government. But he told MPs: “I left the Government because we are in the fight of our lives against nationalism and it is a fight that we are currently losing. Unless we change course, we risk handing the keys of Number 10 to Reform, and I do not want that on our consciences.
“For the first time in our history, nationalists are in power in every corner of the United Kingdom. Scottish and Welsh nationalism represents an existential threat to the future integrity of the United Kingdom. And Reform UK represents a threat to the values and ideals that have made this country great.”
The former Cabinet minister added: “We must reject the politics that tries to divide us – whether that’s dividing the countries of the United Kingdom or the people who call Britain their home. The nurse from Nigeria is not the enemy of the factory worker in Newcastle. The family fleeing war is not responsible for the cost-of-living crisis. Division is the oldest trick in politics – and Britain deserves better than that.”
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Mr Streeting – who was flanked by his supporters on the backbenchers including ex-minister Jess Phillips – also told MPs he did not believe Labour had “time to waste in Government treading water”. But he said: “The Labour Party was elected to deliver real change. We still can.”
Mr Streeting’s comments will likely pile more pressure on Keir Starmer, who has defied calls to step aside as Prime Minister and outline a timetable for his departure. Last week the ex-Health Secretary said he had lost confidence in Mr Starmer’s leadership in a stinging resignation letter hitting out at the “vacuum” in government.
He has also made clear he will run in any leadership race, saying at the weekend: “We need a proper contest with the best candidates on the field, and I will be standing.” It is widely expected a challenge against Mr Starmer will be triggered if the Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, defeats Reform UK in the Makerfield by-election next month.
On Wednesday, Downing Street declined to say whether Mr Starmer would personally be knocking on the doors in the make-or-break by-election for Mr Burnham. The PM’s press secretary pointed back to remarks on Monday in which Mr Starmer told Labour staffers he wanted “everyone in our movement to support” the candidate in the race “100%”.
Mr Streeting – the former Health Secretary – also used his speech on Wednesday to highlight the work of the Labour government in getting the NHS back on its feet after 14 years of Tory neglect. Referring to his own battle with cancer, he said: “I won’t pretend that leaving government hasn’t been an emotional wrench. The scars I bear on my abdomen from my cancer treatment are a daily reminder to me of a time in my life – not so long ago – when I wasn’t thinking about politics, only survival – and the NHS was there for me. “
He concluded his speech citing late bowel cancer campaigner Dame Deborah James in saying that it was “with no regrets and with rebellious hope that I have left the Government”.
He also outlined the struggles facing young people with sky-high rents, house prices and the anxiety over Artificial Intelligence (AI). He said: “These are not irrational fears, they are rooted in real economic change and unless mainstream democratic politics can answer these questions, others will exploit that vacuum. They already are.”
He continued: “The greatest tragedy of Britain today is that the next generation, for the first time in our modern history, face worse prospects than the last. So, the question isn’t about whether young people would fight for their country, but when their country is going to fight for them.
“This is our generational challenge, to not only deal with the immediate issues of affordability, small boats and NHS waiting lists, but also to face up to a turbulent world being remade by climate change and the biggest and vastest industrial revolution in the history of the world. To make sure that nobody is left behind and no-one is left back. That’s our job now.”