Wes Streeting’s Double Speak

I agree we need to see the whole thing before we can judge his position. But even then, i think we'd all come up with a different interpretation.

And I agree that TRA is an electoral liability, and i dont know how they could legalisate for men in womens spaces now. But i dont know how TR are seen within the party. Is it something that the majority would abandon or use as a bargaining chip?

What is fustrating is that it is clear that women have the right to single sex spaces, and Streeting on the surface supports this, but men are still using womens spaces and the government has not made a clear statement. So the danger is that the government remains sympathetic to both sides, and leaves the status quo, where its not legal but men continue to use them and women have to be the ones to fight it. And he appears to take a similar stance with healthcare.

The clips i saw seems to suggest that he can see the real life problems - the bloke in the ladies. But the government are the ones who need to be clear and not seem baffled.

I have a lot of time for bindel, but she is closer to being 'of the left' than an ultra. And that makes a difference to what she would take away from this.

Wes Streeting has had kidney cancer in the past. I think he is genuinely trying his best for the NHS, not least because he has been through it as a patient. When you get a hard stare at your own mortality, I think you reassess life and what’s important. He wants to do right by everyone but he knows you have to face reality and facts. For the health and safety of everyone you need to look at the evidence.

Great post - and a fascinating thread that exemplifies how easy it is to get outraged at edited clips until clear evidence arrives that exposes nuance and complexity which suggests different motivations. I reckon Streeting is as safe a pair of hands we're going to get at the moment and agree he must feel continually conflicted by all this.

For me the issue is why is the NHS having activist LGBT conference given their failure to provide safe, adequate maternity care, functioning A & E services with scandal after scandal hitting the headlines. As usual, spending tax payers money on luxury issues.

I was going to say something similar. I totally understand his motivation, but his tweets are fairly click-baity.

I admire Esses for a lot of the things he's actually done. But I don't like his tweet output much. He could do with someone on his comms IMO!

I agree with this.

On the most divisive issues we need people who can be sympathetic to both sides whilst building policy on actual material facts.

Above I have taken the Bindel line and I'm sticking with that but I'm now wondering why James Esses has taken this line. I've always had a lot of time for him but posting a collage of edited clips to skewer Labour is disingenuous at best. WS has moved and is moving us in the right direction and we can do without mischief making from our own side.

I don’t think this video indicates Streeting has moved at all. Sympathising with distressed (and deluded) young people who have been led to believe that puberty blockers are their salvation is a reasonable thing to do. Referring to the trial that Cass proposed is a reasonable thing to do. He says he must go where the evidence leads. It can’t have been an easy gig for him.

A politician is always going to say to the people they're talking to "I'm on your side"
I'm not concerned about much in that post, apart from the delay in the puberty blocker trial. I can't see how they're going to get it off the ground within the usual constraints of a medical trial.

I'm a little relieved to hear Julie Bindel's thoughts on the matter. She can spot bullshit a mile off.

A pragmatic politician is not necessarily the most ideological or purist....because they need to get a sense for the public mood and the way the wind is blowing.....which is exactly what Labour need to do now. Going more to the Left and towards a TRA agenda would be suicide. Streeting's pragmatism is his strength at present.

You forgot the caveat as in facilitated by a moral panic.

Absolutely!

Have to say I am. disappointed. He's obviously ambitious and will say and do what he needs to say and do to succeed. this double speak needs to be highlighted.

Though, ultimately, i guess, so long as the Supreme court ruling is implemented and the government goes along with the clinical evidence and legal advice then that is the most important thing.

Thanks, it's good to hear another perspective from someone who was there. Much as I'd love a politician to be honest and just admit these transgender demands are wrong I can understand that up against that crowd he feels the need to show sympathy to their plight. At least he appears to be guided by the science which is a step in the right direction.

Sorry, it’s not immoral for politicians to lie to get votes? Says who?

This is a relief to read. I think I'm going to be on high alert for a double-cross for a while - as a pp said, the wins feel fragile and conditional at the moment - so the context from JB and TT is valuable. Not least as a reminder not to rely on single sources in future.

He announced a pilot of support for people on gender waiting lists in the SW. This seened to attract condemnation on X by people who did not read it.

The details are important - it is £125k (!!) for online Cbt to support the known poor mental health of people with gender issues (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/support-for-adults-facing-staggering-waits-for-gender-services). It is (a) not a substantive change in direction (b) no money at all and (c) gives me hope that the Levy review is going to recommend concentrating on supporting mental health rather than speeding people into transition.

It looks like placatory politics and I suspect Wes is trying to do the right thing whilst not annoying anyone. I'm going with Bindel's interpretation and giving him the benefit of the doubt here, given actual actions rather than reported words.

Agree.

Don’t really know what to think though, can’t trust anyone.

But I’ll judge him by his actions, his support for the Darlington nurses etc, but will watch this space.

I have become very wary of edited video clips.

I don’t think Julie Bindel and Wes Streeting have a friendly history ( forgotten why) so if she was actually there and she’s defending him then that holds weight for me, although I agree it’s always wise to be wary of trusting politicians.

Streeting might have leadership ambitions but his parliamentary majority is so fragile that I can’t see his fellow MPs voting for him.

Actual transsexuals if they are lucky, and if TRAs and gen Zers who think they are special, shut up about it all, will probably eventually be able to quietly and politely use the womens loos again. I realise that might be controversial here but that's where I see this going in the end, I think. The law means they can't, but people will turn a blind eye if the spaces are used respectfully. No willy waggling in the swimming pool changing rooms etc.

Think again. The abuse women have suffered over the last 10 years and the egregious land grab by the TRAs etc has completely changed the conversation around this issue. Your optimism is entirely misplaced if you think this will be acceptable to women in the future. Make plans for an alternative solution. We said no and we meant it.

This is the correct strategy from a savvy politician, I'm a bit impressed. Look, I know our recent wins are somewhat precarious, but the way it needs to be dealt with now is time and patience. Of course he needs to pander to the tq+ when he's in the room with them. That's how we all proceed now. Listen sympathetically to those colleagues and friends who are soooo upset by all of this. Say how terrible and difficult it all is. Hope they get some justice soon. While doing zero to actually help change any of it, because we know we are right.

This strategy placates and calms while we get on with fixing what was broken, and eventually the phenomenon will go away as kids won't find it trendy, instead embarrassing. They are such a small minority they will have to go back to how it was before - quiet observance of rules and norms. Actual transsexuals if they are lucky, and if TRAs and gen Zers who think they are special, shut up about it all, will probably eventually be able to quietly and politely use the womens loos again. I realise that might be controversial here but that's where I see this going in the end, I think. The law means they can't, but people will turn a blind eye if the spaces are used respectfully. No willy waggling in the swimming pool changing rooms etc.

Another take from those who were there ;

TransgenderTrend
https://x.com/Transgendertrd/status/1967642256342708725

We went to the NHS LBGT+ health conference. The speakers LGBT activists in the NHS, wedded to gender ideology.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting was the keynote speaker.
It was uncomfortable at times.
He said he felt ‘unfairly traduced’ over his banning of puberty blockers. 1/3

He repeated that he will only be led by evidence on the safety of puberty blockers to an audience of rainbow lanyarded NHS workers.

Pushed by activists on the puberty blocker trial, he defended the delay saying he wanted to see robust evidence that could not be challenged. 2/3

It was an unreal event.
It was as if the Cass Review & the growing evidence base for the harms of medical and surgical gender medicine never happened.
The NHS & Dept of Health must face down the activists who are pushing gender identity beliefs in the health service. 3/3

@fromorbit this is an excellent analysis ❤️

I saw WS speak last week - on most health matters he’s pretty sensible, and I like him.

the problem is that this is a wedge issue with no middle ground visibly available, and, gay or straight, men don’t understand it.

It also doesn’t give anyone any coherent actions, and leaves many of us politically homeless - which I find so bizarre when you consider the Lib Dem’s and Greens, not even thinking about smaller parties, who might appreciate that there is a mobilised, passionate group of the electorate who basically are on the more progressive side (we understand that women could only open a bank account in the UK in the 1970s and some of us knew the spice girls first hand ) but I suppose have also been conditioned to look after everyone else before themselves. I tangentially work in political strategy and I find this so confusing from a strat POV.

no answers but wanted to acknowledge the great analysis 👏

It is fair to say Streeting cannot be fully trusted, but that goes both ways. I think he is misleading and lying to the TAs here.

One - gender ideology is an electoral liability for Labour there is no way anyone who wants to have a chance vs SNP, Reform and Tories wants to go into an election confused about what a women is. Every day that gets more and more true. Look at the trend in the US. Look at the stance Scottish Labour are shifting to. Also the medical evidence is stacking up. The TAs keep losing court cases. The trend is one way. An ambitious politician will see this.

Two - As the Greens and possibly Your party as well go in for TWAW it is very much to Labour's advantage to go down the realist route. However also to lie to the TAs about their commitment to it. Basically Labour will be in the centre position they will be "nicer" to "trans" people than the right, say things, but do not much which cause them electoral damage. Meanwhile they get to look more sensible than Greens etc.

Three - As the recent nominations for the Deputy Leadership shows the TWAW faction inside Labour MPs is now tiny. Shabana Mahmood who was a supporter of Labour Women's Declaration is now Home Secretary. Streeting is ambitious that means appealing to most Labour MPs.

Four - Fear. Yes Streeting has been a snake. However lets not forget which side has brought down Sturgeon. Streeting isn't dumb. He knows that basically a core of lefty women who know they exist and refused to back down brought down one of the most successful politicians in Scotland. Yes maybe Streeting might want to turn on women. Yet for anyone not a fanatic the idea of going up against the Terfs in 2025 is not an attractive plan. Because the pro-women side has been taking on the NHS, Academia, the biggest corporations, the entertainment and fashion industries inside the UK and still keeps winning. Much of the British Right only switched sides to supporting women AFTER Terfs took the establishment on and they could see it was possible. That Streeting is a coward is hardly surprising, remember still very few people on the left will openly say the truth. The Terfs were right. Yet when the cameras are off they are saying it. The old saying is true - Let them hate us as long as they fear us.

Five Streeting is gay. I think he knows the TAs are homophobic, he doesn't want to confront them about it openly. He knows though. He was in denial about it for ages, but I think it is going to be difficult for him to go back to blindly sending gay kids to wreck their lives. Yet he still wants the LGBT community to like him. There is a deep conflict here for him.

Although I trust Julie Bindel’s description, I don’t trust Wes Streeting. Never have.

He’s a career politician who will bend with whatever way the wind is blowing to get to the top of the pile.

As PP have said, he never used to be GC, and was in favour of gender ideology. As the public mood changed and people were peaked, as the Cass report arrived, he did a complete u-turn on his views.

He’s been great in being so clear about puberty blockers etc but I have no doubt at all that if the pendulum swung back the other way he’d swap sides again to further his career.

When he’s backing policies that protect children and/or women, then I’m grateful to have his support. But I don’t believe that he’s authentic and I don’t trust him. He’s a snake who’s always been out for himself.