UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced his decision to quit on Thursday, challenging Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership after the Labour Party’s disastrous loss in the local elections. Streeting said he had lost confidence in the premier and that he should not serve the rest of his term.
He wrote in his resignation letter, “You have shown courage and statesmanship on the world stage- not least in keeping Britain out of the war in Iran. But where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift.”
Streeting became the first senior minister to resign from the Cabinet over internal divisions in the Labour Party after the elections and rising calls for Starmer to step down.
Starmer responded to the letter, saying he was “truly sorry” to see Streeting leave and hailed his management of the National Health Service. Starmer also remained optimistic that the two “can work together to show that Labour in power can address the problems our opponents exploit, can install hope where they want despair, and can bring people together where they want division.”
If Starmer doesn’t step down volunatirly, a challenger should gain support from a fifth of Labour lawmakers, or 81, to initiate a leadership contest. Streeting was expected to trigger the contest on Thursday but there are speculations he hasn’t received enough votes, or that he is giving Starmer a chance to announce his resignation on his own terms.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who was ousted from the Cabinet in September last year over undeclared taxes, told the Guardian that Starmer should “reflect” on his position and that she was ready to play her part in any leadership election if Streeting succeeded in triggering a contest.
Despite the ongoing pressure, Starmer has maintained his stance of remaining in office, stating that any leadership contest would destabilise the government when it should focus on issues like the cost of living crisis and the war in West Asia.
