Wes Streeting’s potential leadership bid has been the subject of mockery from figures within Labour, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch’s rebuke of the former health secretary in the Commons went viral. However, in his Ilford North constituency, residents appear fond of him and pleased at the prospect of their MP possibly becoming prime minister.
Local Support for Streeting
Lesley, a Tesco worker in Barkingside, said: “He’d be very good. He comes into Tesco’s a lot, he’s a nice man. He talks to all of us.” She added, “Is he getting rid of Starmer?” with two thumbs up, reflecting some voters’ fatigue with Keir Starmer’s premiership.
According to YouGov, Streeting ranks third among potential leadership contenders with the general public, behind Andy Burnham and Angela Rayner. Among Labour members, he places fourth after Burnham, Rayner, and Ed Miliband.
Streeting announced his resignation as health secretary on Thursday, clearing the way for a potential challenge against Starmer. Despite a slim majority of just 528 in Ilford North, even supporters of other parties seemed pleased by his leadership prospects, boosting his local profile.
Constituent Perspectives
Paul Hipkins, walking along Barkingside high street, said he would prefer Nigel Farage as prime minister but liked Streeting. “I’ve seen him around, I like him,” he said, though he warned that a leadership election “could go wrong.”
Amber, 21, sipping a latte in a Barkingside cafe, expressed political fatigue: “A lot of things Labour has done have backfired, but it’s a whole party problem. Changing leader might not be the best thing for stability, and it’s what Reform wanted.”
Rochelle Clifford, a 67-year-old teacher, agreed that changing leader could be dangerous, citing Liz Truss’s impact, but added, “He can’t be worse than the idiot we’ve got. He’s not a bad local MP. He is around a lot, very personable, visible, and approachable.”
Almost everyone spoken to by the Guardian said they had met Streeting in local cafes and supermarkets, finding him always up for a chat. Jamila Amin, 54, stopped during her grocery shop to say: “He’s a good man. I think he would make a good prime minister, but Keir Starmer should be given a chance.”
Local Business Support
At the Station cafe in Gants Hill, where Streeting is often spotted having coffee or a fry-up, owner Mahmed Firuz said: “I like him very much. He is a good man, very friendly. We need a change of prime minister, and he could be good.”
Streeting has campaigned hard to boost his majority, with his team pointing to Labour’s healthy win in Redbridge’s recent local elections, bucking the national trend. At the count, he declared: “To all the naysayers who claimed I couldn’t win Ilford North, I will be standing here next time. This is my home, I’ve served this community for over a decade, and I’m in it to win it.”
Iliana, a social worker in Gants Hill, praised Streeting’s responsiveness to constituent letters but opposed a leadership change: “Just leave him to do his job. This country needs stabilising. Starmer has a tough job.” When asked if Streeting would be a good prime minister, she laughed and said: “Well, he’d be a lot better than Farage. He does seem like a serious person – when I see him, I think ‘leadership’.”
