Where Keir Starmer went wrong | Wes Streeting interview
6/18/202658 min
The former Health Secretary reveals why he believes Keir Starmer is failing.
When Wes Streeting resigned from cabinet in May, it put an end to months of speculation. The former Health Secretary does want Keir Starmer’s job.
Since then, the Defence Secretary, John Healey, and the Armed Forces minister, Al Carns, have both resigned over the Defence Spending plan.
Keir Starmer’s leadership is looking more and more precarious.
Now Andy Burnham is running in the Makerfield by-election. If he becomes an MP, that could clear a way for him to contest the leadership himself.
In the days leading up to the by-election, Wes Streeting came into the New Statesman studio for an extended interview with our Political Correspondent, Ethan Croft. In the conversation you’re about to hear, Streeting speaks candidly about the reasons he left government, his views on Keir Starmer’s leadership and what he believes Labour needs to do to reverse its ailing fortunes. He’s also surprisingly complimentary about his potential rival in a future leadership contest, Andy Burnham.
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
Join the New Statesman and special guests in person at Politics Live on Tuesday the 30th of June in Central London. Our flagship one-day conference addresses the most important topics in UK and international politics. Leaders from Westminster and beyond will come together for a mix of panel discussions, live interviews, and debates to interrogate the most urgent policy issues facing Britain today. We'll tackle questions like, "How can the UK become a global leader in clean energy?" "How can we boost trade and investment in post-Brexit Britain?" And, "How can technology and innovation help our public services deliver for communities?" Guests will include the deputy Labour leader, Lucy Powell, and the Minister for Energy, Michael Shanks. Book your tickets now at nsmg.live/events. That's nsmg.live/events.
Anoosh Chakelian· Host0:53
[instrumental music] The New Statesman.
Wes Streeting· Guest0:58
Part of where the government has gone wrong is it doesn't encourage ideas. It almost disincentivizes or discourages them. The best cabinets have been where there has been a real debate about direction and values and ideas. The tragedy is I can probably count on one hand the number of times that's happened, and I think, well, what's the official cabinet doing if it's not bringing values and political judgment to everyday policy discussions and decisions?
Anoosh Chakelian· Host1:28
When Wes Streeting resigned