Wes Streeting has resigned as UK health secretary stating he has lost confidence in Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership.
In a letter shared on X he says he has “lost confidence” in Keir Starmer’s leadership and it would be “dishonourable and unprincipled” to remain in government.
This adds to the pressures being faced by Keir Starmer to resign as Labour party leader following a string of issues over the last few months ranging from the Mandelson appointment controversy and criticism of his foreign relations plan.
Wes Streeting, in his resignation letter pointed to his success as health secretary stating “The results are in and I am pleased to report that I have delivered against the ambitious targets you set for me when I became your Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
“Today’s figures confirm that we surpassed our waiting times target despite strikes, and that waiting lists fell by 110,000 in March – the biggest monthly drop outside of Covid since 2008 meaning that we are on track to achieve the fastest improvement in NHS waiting times in history.”
The MP further pointed at the labour party’s loss in the last elections called Starmer’s leadership into question stating “Last week’s election results were unprecedented – both in terms of the scale of the defeat and the consequences of that failure. For the first time in our country’s history, nationalists are in power in every corner of the United Kingdom – including a dangerous English nationalism represented by Nigel Farage and Reform UK.”
“These are big challenges that require a bold vision and bigger solutions than we are offering. 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.” He further noted
