Wes Streeting has resigned as Health Secretary, telling Sir Keir Starmer he had lost confidence in his leadership and that it would be “dishonourable and unprincipled” to remain in government — clearing the way for what is widely expected to be a formal challenge for the Labour leadership.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Streeting acknowledged the NHS improvements made under his tenure before setting out his reasons for walking away. “As you know from our conversation earlier this week, having lost confidence in your leadership, I have concluded that it would be dishonourable and unprincipled to do so,” he wrote.
He was direct about the state of the government, writing: “Where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift. This was underscored by your speech on Monday.” He pointed to last week’s local election results as a turning point, describing the government’s unpopularity as “a major and common factor” across England, Scotland and Wales, and citing the rise of Reform UK and policy “mistakes” as key drivers of his decision.
Streeting also took aim at the culture inside Downing Street. “Leaders take responsibility, but too often that has meant other people falling on their swords,” he wrote. “You also need to listen to your colleagues, including backbenchers, and the heavy-handed approach to dissenting voices diminishes our politics.”
His letter stopped short of formally announcing a leadership bid, but made clear he believed Starmer’s time was up. “It is now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election,” he wrote, adding that he hoped the contest that follows would be “broad” and “a battle of ideas, not of personalities or petty factionalism.”
Streeting becomes the most senior figure yet to resign from the government since the crisis erupted following last Thursday’s local elections, in which Labour lost more than 1,400 councillors. Four ministers resigned on Tuesday alone, including Jess Phillips and Miatta Fahnbulleh. The departure of the Health Secretary — one of the most prominent members of Cabinet and a figure long seen as a future party leader — represents a significant escalation.
Starmer has so far refused to resign. With 87 Labour MPs publicly calling for his departure, trade unions withdrawing their support and now his own Health Secretary gone, the question of how much longer he can hold on is becoming increasingly acute.
