Wes Streeting has been caught using dodgy stats. In a press release this morning Streeting claimed “an extra million patients are on waiting lists compared to this time last year“. Turns out, that’s incorrect. According to Full Fact, Labour got to the figure using stats from a comment made in a Health Service Journal report from last year. If you use actually accurate and up to date information, it’s clear that 450,000 more people are on waiting lists when compared to last year, so Streeting overshot by over 100%. Full Fact says it’s important “people are not misled about the state of public services“. Not the first time they’ve had to correct Starmer’s team on dodgy stats…

Wes Streeting has become the latest Labour frontbencher to blast Sadiq Khan’s ULEZ expansion, just hours after the High Court ruled the policy was lawful and Khan vowed to press ahead next month. Sir Keir himself has already advised Khan should “reflect” on the move, and Rachel Reeves yesterday said it wasn’t the time to “clobber” families with the £12.50 charge. Now Streeting has also said in no uncertain terms it’s the wrong move. They all need to sit down together and clear the air…

He told Times Radio:

“My anxiety throughout, which I’ve always voiced privately with Sadiq and his team, rather than criticise him publicly, has been, look, I appreciate what you’re doing, I support the goal of the policy, but the cost is a problem. And if you look at who pays ULEZ it tends to be poorer families. And smaller businesses… I’m afraid that the hard truth is that £12 a day fee cost Labour that by-election. And I think it tells you how up against it people are at the moment in terms of their household finances. And if people can’t afford it, they won’t vote for it.”

That’s three of Labour’s most prominent front benchers all telling their party’s own mayor to U-turn, which admittedly is their solution to everything. In the meantime, the well-remunerated David Lammy was on LBC this afternoon, trying to convince one furious caller – who’s struggling to support his family already – that the ULEZ is somehow necessary to stop his kids “get[ting] ill“. According to the caller, the expansion will cost his family around £200 a month… 

Once again, Wes Streeting is a rare voice of reason in the Labour Party. Speaking on Times Radio this morning, the Shadow Health Secretary said the NHS is a “service not a shrine”, adding that we should stop treating it like “a national religion” – Newsnight should take note. Streeting then made the claim that the NHS is “not the envy of the world“. Was it the £180 billion black hole budget or the all time record waiting lists that gave it away…

Streeting used his sermon on the the health service to claim “as only Nixon could go to China, I’d wager that only Labour can reform the NHS”. Wes may well have a point with his Nixon-esque aspirations. A Tory opposition would never get away with taking healthcare policy straight from the mouth of Nigel Farage.

Despite speaking sense on the fetishisation of a government department, he was less sure-footed on whether he supported the consultants’ strike. Apparently it’s difficult to say “no” to the question of whether he supports a strike of staff on six-figure salaries. “I’m a politician”, he admits…