Labour cannot waste time ‘treading water’ in government, warns Streeting

Wes Streeting said that Labour still has time to “deliver real change”, as he used a speech in the House of Commons to warn the party against “treading water”. 

Streeting, who last weekend confirmed he would stand in a future leadership contest, used his valedictory resignation speech to reflect on his time as health secretary but also warn his fellow MPs that Labour must take the fight to Nigel Farage and Reform. 

“Never waste a minute, that’s been my mantra in government,” Streeting told the Commons. “And it is why I do not believe our party has time to waste in government treading water, because the thing about emergencies is that they make the impossible possible.”

His speech saw him warn of the dangers facing young people in particular, from housing costs to the threat of AI on the jobs market. 

Become a friend of LabourList and join our community. Our friends support our vital non-factional work and get access to exclusive content and events. 

He told MPs that he quit “with the belief that we can and must do better” and it was “with deep love for my party and my country, with no regrets, and with rebellious hope that I have left the government”. 

“The Labour Party was elected to deliver real change. We still can.”

Many of his remarks echoed the points he raised during his Progress conference speech on Saturday, his first public appearance since quitting Keir Starmer’s Cabinet and where he confirmed plans to stand if a contest is triggered. 

Streeting also referenced Andy Burnham, who was confirmed on Tuesday by the national executive committee (NEC) as Labour’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election, expected to be held on June 18.

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on TikTok, Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook. You can also write to our editor to share your thoughts on our stories and share your own. The best letters are published every Sunday.

Streeting said Labour needed to “win the battles we thought that were long since won, of progressives against reactionaries, of patriots versus nationalists, of hope over hate”. 

“That is our fight. It’s Andy Burnham’s fight in Makerfield, and it is Labour’s fight for the soul of our country.”

The Ilford North MP also repeated his call for a “new special relationship” with the EU. His comments over the weekend, which saw him suggest that the UK could one day rejoin the EU and reverse Brexit, sparked considerable debate across the party. 

Burnham, who is running in a constituency that voted to leave the EU in 2016, said this week he was “not advocating” for the UK to rejoin during the by-election. Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary and Wigan MP, also said she “didn’t really understand why the sudden focus on Europe”. 

Streeting told the Commons: “When I gave my maiden speech 11 years ago, I argued that none of the problems facing our country would be solved by leaving the European Union. 

“Today, in the dangerous and volatile world we find ourselves in, dominated by an unpredictable superpower in the USA, a rising superpower in China, and a failed superpower in Russia, it is even more clear that we would have been better off leading Europe than leaving the European Union, not despite our sovereignty and the need to control our borders, but to enable those things. 

“This is why I argue for a new special relationship.”

Streeting told the chamber that there was a difference between nationalism and patriotism, as he addressed the success of Plaid Cymru in Wales and the SNP in Scotland in the elections on May 7.

“I left the government because we are in the fight of our lives against nationalism, and it is a fight that we are currently losing. 

“Unless we change course, we risk handing the keys of Number 10 to Reform, and I do not want that on our consciences.”

The speech also saw the former Cabinet minister pay tribute to the Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ efforts in managing the economy, as well as Starmer’s handling of the war in Iran.

Reeves, he said, had “been delivering the fastest growing economy in the G7, falling inflation and lower interest rates”. 

“Her hard work, undermined by the consequences of a war we did not choose. And I pay tribute to the prime minister for keeping us out of it.”

• • SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at [email protected].
  • SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
  • BECOME A FRIEND: If you enjoyed this, why not consider becoming a Friend of LabourList? Help sustain our journalism, and of course Friends do get benefits…
  • PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email [email protected].
  • ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at [email protected].