Former Health Secretary Wes Streeting has warned that Labour is losing the fight against nationalism and could hand Downing Street to Reform UK unless the party changes course. In his first Commons speech since quitting Keir Starmer’s Cabinet last week, Streeting said it was an “emotional wrench” to leave the government but insisted he acted because “we are in the fight of our lives against nationalism and it is a fight that we are currently losing”.
Streeting told MPs: “Unless we change course, we risk handing the keys of Number 10 to Reform, and I do not want that on our consciences.” He noted that nationalists are in power across the UK for the first time, describing Scottish and Welsh nationalism as an “existential threat” to the union and Reform UK as a threat to British values. He urged the party to reject divisive politics, saying: “The nurse from Nigeria is not the enemy of the factory worker in Newcastle. The family fleeing war is not responsible for the cost-of-living crisis.”
The former minister, who has declared he will stand in any leadership contest, said Labour was elected to deliver change but was “treading water”. His intervention piles pressure on Starmer, who has resisted calls to resign. A challenge is expected if Andy Burnham defeats Reform in the Makerfield by-election next month. Downing Street declined to say whether Starmer would campaign personally for Burnham.
Streeting also highlighted NHS recovery efforts, referencing his own cancer treatment, and warned that young people face worse prospects than previous generations due to high rents, house prices and AI anxiety. He concluded: “The greatest tragedy of Britain today is that the next generation… face worse prospects than the last.”
