Wes Streeting has quit as health secretary after days of speculation that he is preparing to mount a leadership challenge to Sir Keir Starmer.
The now ex-health secretary is brutal in his assessment of Sir Keir’s leadership of the Labour Party and the country in his resignation letter.
But he stops short of announcing a leadership challenge, saying instead that the prime minister should take steps to ensure there is a “broad” contest to replace him with “the best possible field of candidates”.
Here are four key excerpts from the near-1,000 word letter and what they may mean.
Streeting delivers the killer blow, saying he has “lost confidence” in the prime minister but also makes clear that his decision to quit on a matter of principle has nothing to do with policy differences and everything to do with Sir Keir’s leadership of the Labour Party and the country.
‘Nationalists are in power in every corner of the UK’
Streeting lumps Reform UK, Plaid Cymru and the SNP together as “nationalists” saying they threaten the future integrity of the United Kingdom. There is no mention of the Green Party eating into Labour’s vote in parts of England.
This feeds into the deep-seated fear among Labour MPs that Nigel Farage will be next prime minister. Streeting does not believe Sir Keir is capable of preventing that.
‘Where we need vision, we have a vacuum’
This is a particularly brutal passage but it will resonate with many who have served this government as ministers or officials, including some who are still in those roles.
The debate this week has been about Streeting, his conduct and his campaign. Now Streeting wants it to be about Sir Keir, his leadership and where he is taking the Labour Party.
‘Clear’ you will not lead Labour into next general election
A “broad debate” is code for Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, being able to stand as a candidate if he is able to. To become a candidate, Burnham would have to become an MP.
The onus is now on Burnham to prove that he does indeed have the plausible route into Parliament (ie an MP resigning to hand over to him) that his allies have claimed he has for some weeks now.
If Burnham cannot come up with the goods, then it is likely that Streeting and his supporters will press for a rapid contest in which Streeting would be more likely to face off against Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister, or perhaps former party leader Ed Miliband.
You can read his letter and Starmer’s response in full here.
