Health Secretary Wes Streeting is set to criticise Nigel Farage for promoting a 'miserabilist, declinist' vision of Britain, arguing that it is time to fight a battle of ideas against the populist right. In a speech on Saturday, Streeting will claim that failing public services have acted as a 'fertiliser of populism' by breeding cynicism about politics' ability to effect change.
Streeting will argue that repairing the NHS is crucial to seeing off the threat of Farage and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, whom he describes as 'alternative candidates for prime minister at the next election'. He will also state that 'delivery isn't enough' and that progressive politicians must confidently 'take on their arguments and win the battle of ideas'.
The intervention comes as Reform UK appears neck and neck in the polls with Labour and the Conservatives, and follows Donald Trump's inauguration in the US. While some Labour strategists believe taking on Farage is pointless as he poses more of a threat to the Tories, many Labour backbenchers are uneasy with the party's approach of largely ignoring him.
Streeting, tipped as a potential future Labour leader, will firmly position himself among those who believe Farage must be confronted. He will say: 'The crux of Farage's argument is this: what was possible in the 20th century is not possible in the 21st. It's a miserabilist, declinist vision for Britain's future.'
He will highlight previous comments by Badenoch and Farage suggesting the NHS's principle of being free at the point of use could be up for debate. Streeting will argue that proving the cynics wrong and getting the NHS delivering world-class care again is a potent antidote to Farage's miserabilism, noting that 150,000 patients have come off waiting lists in the past four months.
Streeting will also challenge Farage's support for tax cuts for private healthcare, saying ordinary people have been 'left behind by those who can afford to jump the queue and go private'. He will conclude: 'The irony is that Farage, who preys on that sentiment, would cement this two-tier healthcare system. Labour is ending it.'
