Wes Streeting: "If I brief against my colleagues I'd be out on my ear."
| Updated:
Wes Streeting speaks to The News Agents about Reform UK, Labour infighting, and the NHS
Listen to this article
Read time: 2 minutes
In brief..
- The News Agents speak to Health Secretary Wes Streeting at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.
- He sent a stark warning to whoever ‘briefed’ against Sue Gray and the PM, stressing Keir Starmer has a ‘zero tolerance’.
- Streeting said the NHS needs ‘action now’ for the long term, and spoke about the future of the British right wing.
Wes Streeting: "If I brief against my colleagues I'd be out on my ear."
What’s the story?
Someone high up inside the Labour Party could be in trouble.
If you saw the headlines last week, you’ll know that Keir Starmer’s chief of staff Sue Gray is on a higher salary than the Prime Minister himself.
Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, says Keir Starmer has a “zero tolerance” to briefing.
That could be a worry for whoever leaked the Gray story to the press.
Streeting told The News Agents at Labour Conference: “The Prime Minister can't stand leaks, briefing, any sort of self indulgent personality politics, he's got no time for it, and he won't tolerate it.”
The Health Secretary added that he knows “as a member of Keir’s cabinet, if I brief against my colleagues, or I leak from the government, I'd be out on my ear.”
Streeting added that he was shocked to learn of the leak, saying this is not a common occurrence inside Number 10.
He said: “On this occasion, on this sort of set of stories, I read the papers and just think ‘this just doesn't resemble my experience of working with number 10.”
Is Streeting worried about Reform?
Jon points out that Reform could gain an extra 50 seats in the next general election, according to estimates.
It comes after they came second in a large number of Labour seats back in July.
Streeting says this indicates there is a “potential realignment” on the right of British politics.
He said: “We haven't had a period of major party realignment in this country for 100 years.
“I think there is every chance that Reform could replace the Conservative Party as the right wing alternative to Labour.”
Can Labour save the NHS?
Keir Starmer may have said there are no quick fixes in his conference speech, but Streeting suggests that urgent action is needed to rescue the country’s health service.
Streeting did not reveal any specifics, but said it his plan will involve health service reform and public health reform
He said: “Unless we take action now for the long term, let alone the immediate crisis facing us, we will end up being battered and potentially shipwrecked by a perfect storm of a growing aging society, rising levels of chronic disease and therefore rising cost pressures, which threaten to bankrupt the NHS.”
This, he argues, requires a multifaceted approach.
Streeting says: “On one shoulder, I've got The Guardian. It’ll say, ‘love what you're saying on prevention, but drop this public service reform agenda’.
“And on the other shoulder, I've got the Daily Mail saying, love what you're saying about health service reform, but can you drop the nanny state. The Guardian and The Daily Mail are half right and half wrong. We've got to do both.”
Listen in full on The News Agents
