Health Secretary Wes Streeting has defended the government's series of U-turns but acknowledged that Labour should aim to get policy right first time in 2026. Speaking at the Institute for Government (IfG) conference, he suggested that adopting the NHS's 'get it right first time' (GIRFT) initiative as a New Year's resolution would be beneficial.
Streeting’s comments come amid a wave of government reversals, including a planned support package for the pub industry after backlash over business rate hikes, as well as U-turns on winter fuel payments for pensioners, cuts to disability benefits, and inheritance tax changes for farms. When asked if these shifts were slowing the government, Streeting said: 'Feedback is the breakfast of champions. We love to hear it and if people think we're getting it wrong - and we think that they're right - far better to do the right thing rather than to spare one's political blushes.'
The Health Secretary also used his speech to criticise what he called an 'excuses culture' within Labour, where some blame Whitehall for failings. He said: 'Bafflingly, some on my own side of the political divide have begun to parrot the same argument. They complain about the civil service. They blame stakeholder capture. This excuses culture does the centre-left no favours.' The remarks are seen as a swipe at former Downing Street aide Paul Ovenden, who recently argued that the 'Stakeholder State' has left ministers 'emasculated'.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham also addressed the conference, accusing Whitehall departments of 'resisting' growth-driving devolution. He called for sweeping reforms, stating: 'The unelected state – Whitehall – currently holds too much power. ... I personally believe the answer to this, to a more functional Britain, is a major reform of the elected state.' Burnham claimed departments often take contradictory positions and that mayors have to 'fight endlessly' to achieve their goals.
