I think Wes Streeting is the fresh direction Labour needs now

[WesStreetingForPM]

Name changed because we are at a pivotal point in our lifetimes, and my focus now needs to be on this.

I do think Starmer is a decent man, but Labour risks being wiped out entirely if he stays in charge. I see this in my own family and community.

We need a change of direction and a fresh face who can actually connect and get things done. For me, and I feel for those around me, that person is Wes Streeting.

He’s done a solid job as Health Secretary in tough circumstances. He’s pragmatic, articulate and not afraid of reform where it’s needed (which is exactly what the NHS requires). He comes from a genuine working-class background - council estate and free school meals - so he understands real life in a way some career politicians don’t. He can talk about aspiration, responsibility and actually winning elections in a way most career politicians simply cannot.

And yes, I’ll say it - the fact that he’s an openly gay man is a massive positive. It shows progress and that someone can reach the top on merit while being open about who they are. Representation matters!

Wes feels like the candidate who could actually win the next election and deliver.

I would love to see Mumsnet unite behind Wes - who I think would make a fantastic Prime Minister.

So this all about minorities being represented by all means. I admire your efforts but this is far from people real concerns and a bit of this is how we got here.

What??? So we can have idiots like Baggy Khan parading around in Lamborghini Huragans? The only Green I can see in the party is the Hamas flag!

Ohhhhhh... THIS is why Catherine West suddenly backed down !! It's all clear now: Streeting stole her campaign song.

Anyway, Starmer's fine. People need to start taking the UK press with a huge pinch of salt and thinking for themselves. If you had issues with Starmer a week ago, fine, let's talk about those - but Labour's losses in some local elections simply aren't a loss of the PM's mandate by any reasonable stretch or manipulation. And Anas Sarwar called for Starmer's head ages ago so I'm not sure Labour's poor performance in Scotland isn't actually an endorsement of Keir (or more likely complete indifference). The Senedd losses are more concerning but I will bet you a dozen Triceratops eggs that half the people here aren't even Welsh.

STARMER IS NOT THAT BAD. Plus, he is PM and you're not.

😆😆

OP for Prime Minister im guessing 🤔

Starmer has done a good job but he can't carry on with this instability.

It looks like the markets now want him to go - when that happens, it's over.

And the markets want someone who can provide some stability.

That can only be Wes.

Wes doesn't even make your top five?

Out of that five it would be:

Yvette Cooper
Emily Thornberry
Ed Miliband
Andy Burnham
Angela Rayner

For me.

They'd all make good PMs but I'd worry that none of them would be great PMs.

I don't want Lammy as PM now, I just think he'd be a good PM in more stable times. Especially because Labour could have had an LGBTQIA+ PM and then a person of colour as PM.

The far right would leave the country lol

It is put your money where your mouth is time for Wes. If he doesn't launch a bid now, Starmer might sack him. If he does launch a bid, he may well not win.

Tricky for Wes.

lol that’s what I thought.

Er no. You weren’t elected. Go do some work you lazy ladder climber.

It doesn't look like Starmer has any power left.

Apparently when Liz Truss was Prime Minister, the UK's 10 year bond yield was 4.7%, and that was the main reason why she had to go. This was an economic disaster caused by political instability.

The UK's 10 year bond yield has just gone above that today - in fact it's hit 5%.

The country needs stability right now.

I don't think you'll get that any other candidate offers the stability that Wes does - plus he has some charisma.

Being white and male isn't a new thing for a Labour leaders, so not your strongest point. I doubt there are many gay men without children on mumsnet so I'm not sure why we should get excited about how representative he is.

I personally don't give two hoots for a person's sexuality or colour, I just want a decent PM. My personal favourite politician is Kemi Badenoch.

I think it sounds enigmatic, and even slightly sinister with the mystery.

Who is OP that their focus 'needs' to be on this?

Streeting doesn’t even make it into the top 50. I’d rather see the Tories back than that duplicitous, scheme toad in number 10

The only person I can think of who needs their focus to be on Wes Streeting becoming PM, is Wes Streeting. It’s come from his HQ.

and sitting in the corner, scheming away as usual and still having undue influence, is Mandy. A queen scorned and all that. He’d like nothing more than to bring down Starmer.

You could have Kemi Badenoch. She's a woman as well, even better! And she knows men can't grow a cervix.

We could also be at war with Iran, but we're not.

Is that Wes? Or Wes’s mum? I think Keir Starmer should be left to get on with it. It was always going to be difficult , with all the wars and uncertainty and post COVID and Brexit. The last thing we need is wannabe Prime Ministers playing musical chairs. We had enough of that under the Tories.

The criteria OP seems to care most about is representation of disadvantaged groups.

I said Streeting for PM and Miliband as chancellor weeks ago.

Thing is some of them are not too bad. Starmer has done a good job internationally, Wes a fair job, Mahmood and Cooper goodish too.
It is that Reeves woman who has messed it all up for Starmer. Had he been smarter he would have put Streeting as Chancellor from the get go, even if it meant that Streeting would have eventually taken his job. The fact Starmer has put dead beats around him Reeves/Lammy etc shows he is not a strong leader. A strong leader is not threatened by someone strong by their side.

I think we are both right.

Actually Starmer would have made a good Chancellor!

My secondhand embarrassment just went off the charts

Angela Rayner cannot be PM. We would be the laughing stock of the whole world. Home Secretary or Deputy is her pinnacle. That is fine, but not PM. There is a line.

Just a voter who cares about stability - and we're not seeing much of that at the moment