Streeting challenges Starmer’s authority with shadow leadership campaign

Former health secretary Wes Streeting has formally launched a shadow campaign for the Labour Party leadership, asserting that he can overcome his status as an underdog to challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Streeting, who resigned from the cabinet last week, argues that Starmer has lost the confidence of both the parliamentary party and the wider electorate. He warns that continuing with the current leadership risks handing power to Reform UK, drawing a parallel to the electoral defeat suffered by the US Democratic Party under Joe Biden.

Although no official leadership contest has been declared, Streeting insists he has secured the support of 81 MPs, the threshold required to trigger a formal vote. He contends that Starmer’s political authority has been fatally undermined by recent election results and internal dissent. Streeting described it as “inevitable” that the prime minister would eventually stand down, stating that he does not wish to bear responsibility for allowing a leader who has lost the country’s support to remain in place.

Streeting’s policy platform focuses on accelerating the establishment of a national care service, implementing a wealth tax, and reviewing refugee protections. He plans to speed up the Casey review, which is currently scheduled to report in 2028, arguing that the existing timetable is unrealistic. Additionally, he has pledged to adhere to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s fiscal rules, emphasising that maintaining market confidence is essential to avoid higher borrowing costs that would constrain public investment.

On housing, Streeting proposes moving 85,000 families out of temporary accommodation by speeding up the delivery of social homes. His plan includes stripping planning powers from councils that fail to meet targets and giving them to the planning inspectorate. He also suggests that only large developments of 2,000 homes or more should require environmental impact assessments, and that developers should bid for land with existing planning permission to accelerate construction.

While rival Andy Burnham campaigns to win the Makerfield byelection, Streeting denies that his move is motivated by ambition to secure a cabinet position should Burnham succeed. He has positioned himself as a candidate who can appeal to the Labour left, despite being viewed as being on the right of the party. Streeting also outlined his approach to foreign policy, supporting Israel’s right to self-defence while criticising the scale of casualties in Gaza, and expressing a desire for closer relations with the EU in the future.