AIBU to predict Streeting will resign tomorrow & trigger leadership contest.

[Twiglets1]

Wes Streeting will reportedly resign as Health Secretary and trigger a leadership contest against Keir Starmer and it could be as soon as tomorrow.

Allies of Mr Streeting said he was “going to go for it” after he met the Prime Minister in Downing Street for just 16 minutes this morning.

A spokesman for the Health Secretary said he would not discuss his brief meeting with Sir Keir over fears it would overshadow the King’s Speech, which will take place later today at 11.40.

AIBU to assume that Streeting is in the final stages of preparing a coup for the Labour leadership and will very likely make his move tomorrow?

But Burnham is the Lefts ' Prince over the water'. They have pinned all their hopes on Burnham being the answer to all their prayers. Either he does what they want or they will bay for his blood too.

Jeez. And you have a vote!

I'm not sure what Wes Streeting will bring other then a younger face. The circumstances which Kier Starmer and government will be the same, there is no magic wand and money pot.

And as for Andy Burnham is just noise, he needs to follow the rules to be eligible to stand as a Labour MP and win before he can even try and become the leader of the Labour
Party.

The left of the party will bay for anyone's blood who is not as committed as they are to keeping Labour as a far left party

That is what they do. The have not learnt from the recent disaster from when Corbyn led the party they are too entrenched in their view of Labour party ideology rather than what they Labour party can do to become get into power and once they are in power

The Telegraph report that:

News broke that Mr Streeting had told friends he was planning to launch a leadership challenge less than two hours after he met Sir Keir to air his concerns about the crisis engulfing Downing Street.

One MP allied with the Health Secretary told The Telegraph they had been informed by his team that he was planning to resign on Thursday.

Three Cabinet sources loyal to Sir Keir said the situation had enraged ministers, who felt it had overshadowed the State Opening of Parliament. “There is a risk it will backfire,” one source told The Telegraph.

A senior Labour MP described his timing as “poor and unclassy”, adding: “He is desperate to get in before Andy Burnham returns.”

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/05/13/keir-starmer-latest-news-streeting-meeting-king-speech/

They always deny wanting the top job despite going for the top job if/once they smell blood.

Anyone appearing too keen on replacing the PM gets moved on. According to an anonymous ally of Keir Starmer (possibly his mum): “Keir should have sacked Wes while he had the chance".

Yes KS should have sacked him, he may still do.....

Burnham wouldn't even get elected as an MP, that chance has been an gone, he was also a poor Minister when Labour were last in.

Streeting wouldn't get the required nominations and has very poor leadership skills.

But if Streeting does stand, it will open the door for other names but who could get the required votes?

Trouble is, all the main players called for a GE when the Tories frequently changed PM, this would all get thrown back at them.....

Labour are better off sticking with who they have for the time being, i think most people are sick to death of Govts acting like this.

Starmer can't sack Streeting in the next day or so! It would look exactly like what it would be - him being terrified of Streeting's leadership challenge.

Streeting is doing a decent job with the NHS which is a very difficult area to be responsible for, so I wouldn't be so sure that he wouldn't get enough nominations.

Time will tell I guess.

Will depend on WS loyalties, obv if he refuses to back KS but wont stand, then KS has no choice... or he will look weak.

80 MPs aren't happy with KS, so i think the possibility of getting the backing for WS, who is heavily linked to Mandelson would be problematic.

One think you do appear to guarantee with our main political parties is that they do not take Government seriously.... i didn't vote Labour for this xxxx shower of a drama.
I wanted a start to put right 14 years of the cons, not miracles but so far Labour are a disappointment

Yes you are absolutely right. They have shown themselves to be completely ungovernable as a party ( again). Even if they do, against every single odds, get into power, they will pull apart anyway, in their endless purity spiral, once they find out that actually, 'the markets' do exist and their fantasy land cannot work. They pick and choose policies from other countries to prove it does, ignoring others. They should all fuck off to The Greens. including the unions.

I also voted Labour at the last election and wanted them to start to put right 14 years of Conservative rule.

I think Starmer has done ok so far as I said on another thread. People seem to have expected quicker results though.

If they insist on "new blood" then I think Streeting is a decent choice. Though I know he can't perform miracles either and the public will be moaning about him soon enough and saying maybe Starmer was better.

Ooh tough talking! They may well have considered fucking off to the Greens before all this antisemitic stuff came up. Not something many serious politicians would want to be associated with now.

Maybe the Lib Dems will have a resurgence?

Streeting should complete the job that he genuinely seemed to have been committed to less than two years ago.

So not only is a change in leader and PM is distracting the work MPs should be doing, we could lose a good Health Secretary who is clearly working hard to make the nhs better.

I find the lack of commitment by Streeting - if it happens - shows terrible judgement as if Streeting completes his term and the nhs improves, this would be good for a future leadership contest. Right now I can’t see the value and the turmoil being unleashed is unforgivable.

I’m so sick of this whole pantomime and if Streeting resigns, will be very, very disappointed in him.

Unless the plan is WS stands & KS stands, KS wins and then everyone will have to put up & shut up & get on with running the Country? 🤷‍♀️

I am genuinely surprised.

Starmer may have done ok as PM, esp on the International front but domestically, its poor, the speed of change is glacial, eg Social Care, Dentistry... just 2 examples no one can accuse them of "hitting the road running"

But KS should stay, i hope he does do a Major and silence his critics.

He might do, but he or Rayner, if made leader, will trash the Labour Party for years. They will be slaughtered at the next election.

He’s such a slimy, insincere weasel. Yuck.

The speed may be slow but I feel like Starmer was going in the right direction.

I'm sounding like he's already gone now, but that's not inevitable.

None of the answers to Labours current woes are to be found in a leadership contest. The media will still have it in for whoever takes over. They should focus on implementing policies that either the public want or will improve the quality of life for people. Changing leaders didn't work for the Tories and it won't work for labour. All this chopping and changing of prime ministers all the time is not the best way to run a country imo.

I agree that Rayner would trash the Labour party, just don't have much faith in her making good judgements about things.

But what makes you think Streeting would trash the Labour party? He hasn't trashed the NHS, he is making improvements to it.

It’s all very dramatic isn’t it! Wes-will-he-won’t-he, desperate to have a crack because he has no chance once Burnham gets a seat. King of the North sweeping into town to raise his profile; even if a labour MP resigns for Burnham there is no guarantee they will hold onto the seat given their popularity is in free fall. And Rayner stirring the pot from the sidelines. It would be gripping if it wasn’t our country and economy ailing as a consequence of this mess.

So he should honour his pledge to making improvements to the NHS. He is doing a good job. There will be opportunities for him in future. The NHS needs a skilled politician like Streeting who genuinely seemed passionate about the challenges facing him.

Wouldn't put it past him but he who wields the knife never wears the crown.
I like Starmer and want him to stay.

If he really was that passionate he’d get on and finish the job he started though. He’s more passionate for the top job I’ll warrant.

Palantir were commissioned in late 2023, under the conservative government, jointly by the Dept of Health and NHS England.