Labour latest: Streeting quits to fire gun on leadership contest

Wes Streeting told Sir Keir Starmer he needs to ‘listen to his backbenchers’ as he criticised his leadership in his resignation letter.

He wrote:

But where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift. This was underscored by your speech on Monday.

Leaders take responsibility, but too often that has meant other people falling on their swords.

You also need to listen to your colleagues, including backbenchers, and the heavy-handed approach to dissenting voices diminishes our politics.

In his resignation letter to Sir Keir Starmer, Wes Streeting said he ‘concluded that it would be dishonourable and unprincipled’ to continue under his leadership.

He wrote:

It is now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election and that Labour MPs and Labour Unions want the debate about what comes next to be a battle of ideas, not of personalities or petty factionalism.

It needs to be broad, and it needs the best possible field of candidates. I support that approach and I hope that you will facilitate this.

Read his full letter here:

Wes Streeting has quit as Health Secretary, paving the way for a potential leadership challenge against Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

In his resignation letter, Mr Streeting criticised the ‘drift’ at the top of Government and told the Prime Minister it is ‘clear’ he will not lead Labour into the next election.

Mr Streeting’s resignation follows days of turmoil in which calls have mounted for the Prime Minister to step down in the wake of Labour’s election mauling last week.

Sir Keir Starmer would lose a head-to-head leadership vote against Andy Burnham, Angela Rayner and Ed Miliband…but not Wes Streeting.

A new poll by Labour List shows the Prime Minister would see off any challenge from the Health Secretary if the pair were put to members in a two-horse race.

Here are the results of the poll below:

A Labour MP in Manchester has declared he will not stand down for Andy Burnham amid reports he is preparing to give up his seat.

According to The Times, Afzal Khan is considering allowing the Manchester Mayor a run at the Commons by vacating his Manchester Rusholme seat.

The newspaper reports Mr Khan is waiting to see if Wes Streeting launches a leadership challenge before making a final decision.

But today Mr Khan has dismissed the report and declared, ‘ I don’t know where these rumours are coming from’.

He told the New Statesman: ‘There is no question of me resigning’.

Daily Mail columnist Dan Hodges says while much of the attention in Westminster remains on Wes Streeting, Andy Burnham is garnering a lot of interest as well.

The Greater Manchester Mayor is reportedly set to announce he has found a seat to return to the Commons and stake his claim for the leadership.

Downing Street declined to comment on Angela Rayner’s announcement she has been cleared by HMRC, despite Sir Keir Starmer previously suggesting there was a path back to Government for her if she were exonerated.

Asked whether there was a route back for her or whether there were still question marks over her underpayment of stamp duty, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘I think you’re asking about hypothetical Cabinet change, which I’m not going to engage in’.

He added: ‘It’s not for me to comment on an individual’s tax affairs, and as I say, she’s addressed quite a lot about herself this morning’.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed has arrived in Downing Street, ignoring questions from reporters as he entered No 10.

It has been reported Mr Reed and Sir Keir are due to attend a housing visit this afternoon.

Angela Rayner has said she has been cleared of deliberate wrongdoing in an investigation over her tax affairs, paving the way for a potential leadership bid amid uncertainty over Sir Keir Starmer’s future.

As Health Secretary Wes Streeting mulls whether to launch a challenge to the Prime Minister, Sir Keir’s former deputy did not rule out running in any race but said she would not ‘trigger’ a contest.

Ms Rayner, the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, said the investigation into her underpayment of stamp duty, which led to her departure from Government, had ‘clipped her wings’.

She said: ‘I’ll play my part in doing everything we possibly can to deliver the change, because it’s not a personal ambition, I know the difference it makes.’

But do you think Ms Rayner would win a Labour leadership contest? Vote in the Daily Mail’s latest poll:

William Hill has placed Angela Rayner the new favourite to be the next Prime Minister after being cleared by HMRC over her tax affairs.

Rayner now heads the betting at 9/4, ahead of Andy Burnham at 11/4 and Ed Miliband at 5/1, with Wes Streeting now fourth in the market at 11/2 despite reports that he is preparing to resign from the government and mount a leadership challenge.

Attention is also turning to when Starmer might be replaced as Labour leader.

Spokesperson for William Hill, Lee Phelps, said:

Angela Rayner’s HMRC clearance has sent her odds tumbling in our Politics markets; she’s now 9/4 favourite to be the next Prime Minister, ahead of Andy Burnham at 11/4, with Ed Miliband 5/1 and Wes Streeting 11/2 – even as the Health Secretary is reportedly lining up a leadership challenge.

William Hill odds:

• Angela Rayner – 9/4
• Andy Burnham – 11/4
• Ed Miliband – 5/1
• Wes Streeting – 11/2

Downing Street said the Prime Minister retains confidence in Wes Streeting as Health Secretary and the ‘position hasn’t changed’ since Wednesday.

Asked whether Mr Streeting remained in his Cabinet post, Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said: ‘Yes’.

Asked whether the Prime Minister had full confidence in him, the official said: ‘Yes, the position hasn’t changed’.

Downing Street was asked whether Sir Keir Starmer was proud of Wes Streeting’s record in office.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said that ‘thanks to the decisions taken by this Government’ the NHS had improved.

Sir Keir Starmer continues to insist he will fight on, Downing Street said amid threats of a leadership challenge.

No 10 pointed to his comment at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting that ‘the Labour Party has a process for challenging a leader and that has not been triggered’.

Questions are swirling about whether Wes Streeting has the number of supporters needed to force a race, as allies of the Health Secretary were briefing he may be delaying his expected leadership campaign launch because of the growing pressure on Sir Keir to step down.