Health secretary Wes Streeting’s failure to mount a leadership challenge has reassured Sir Keir Starmer and his allies, but briefings about a possible resignation as early as Thursday have reignited speculation. Some Labour MPs fear Streeting risks becoming the “David Miliband of this generation” – a long-time heir apparent who never made the final step.
Streeting’s ambition has long been an open topic within Labour, including self-deprecating jokes from the man himself. His allies played down a bid over the weekend, hoping Starmer would step down or another candidate would emerge. The strategy was billed as “planning, not plotting” – being ready for a contest rather than starting one.
Two factors shifted the narrative. First, Starmer clung on despite an underwhelming “reset” speech, suffering only the resignation of a few junior ministers allied to Streeting. Second, Downing Street briefed that Streeting had “bottled it” and lacked the 80 MPs needed to trigger a contest. After being rebuffed for a private chat, Streeting was granted a brief meeting on Starmer’s terms, emerging after 16 or 17 minutes.
Starmer has long believed Streeting cannot command party support, and that only Andy Burnham could challenge him directly. One Starmer ally said: “They thought he can be bullied out but he can’t.” A rival camp called the Streeting operation “totally pathetic”.
Despite this, Streeting’s team rang MPs on Tuesday night, urging them to hold their nerve. They are seeking support from across the party, including left-wing MPs, to gather the necessary 80 names. While Thursday was billed as the expected moment, supporters insisted it would happen, with more ministers resigning first.
