Wes Streeting is preparing to resign from the government and trigger a Labour leadership contest as soon as tomorrow. On Tuesday night, critics of the Health Secretary were feeling increasingly confident that he’d ‘bottled it’. They claimed that Streeting had neither the gumption nor the numbers to make a run for the Labour crown. His detractors, at least on the first point, were wrong.
More than 90 Labour MPs have publicly called for Starmer to go, and plenty more say the same in private – including a handful who signed the 100-strong backbench letter in support of the PM
As the King’s Speech was delivered in the House of Lords, an ally of Streeting told me that ‘it’s inevitable’ that the first formal strike against the Prime Minister will happen as early as tomorrow. It follows a meeting between Starmer and Streeting at Downing Street this morning, held to discuss Sir Keir’s plans to turn around the party. The fact it lasted a mere 16 minutes speaks to the tensions between the two men – tensions which are now spilling out into the open. More than 90 Labour MPs have publicly called for Starmer to go, and plenty more say the same in private – including a handful who signed the 100-strong backbench letter in support of the PM. Over the past 24 hours, Streeting’s team have been racing to add up the numbers and lay the ground for a challenge that denies Andy Burnham a place on the ballot.
If, as planned, the Health Secretary launches his bid tomorrow, the soft-left will be forced to rapidly rally around a candidate who is not their anointed King in the North. Technically, that person could be Starmer himself, to bide more time for Burnham to find a path to the Commons. However, many MPs are becoming suspicious of the Manchester mayor’s claim that he has legions of valiant backbenchers prepared to nobly sacrifice their seats so he can take over. It is therefore more likely that Ed Miliband is volunteered up as the soft-left candidate. He is thought by Downing Street to be organising this very minute, with the Energy Secretary telling supporters that he is prepared to take on Streeting if needs must. Angela Rayner may also offer herself as the soft-left choice. But allies of Burnham on the backbenches are not confident in her ability to win over the public at a general election.
There is also a dark horse set to enter the race: the former special forces colonel, Al Carns. The defence minister launched his manifesto for Labour in the New Statesman today. In it he declared: ‘The party was founded to give ordinary working people security, dignity and bargaining power over their lives. That is exactly what I believe, and it must be our mission again. We do not need more slogans, strategies, press releases or commissions. We need action.’ It follows repeated hints in recent months that he harboured ambitions to stand, amid frustration in the 2024 intake at the shenanigans of the cabinet.
Over on X, Streeting is playing along with the idea that everything is normal here in parliament. As King Charles finished delivering the Prime Minister’s agenda, the Health Secretary posted: ‘Under Labour, NHS waiting lists are falling, ambulances are arriving faster, there are more GPs, and higher patient satisfaction. The Health Bill will boost the impact of our investment and modernisation: cutting bureaucracy to invest in patient care.’
Expect Labour’s civil war to ramp up by multiple gears tomorrow – and get incredibly messy. For what it’s worth, an ally of Sir Keir tells me: ‘He’s not going anywhere.’
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