A “very sorry” Starmer has sent his public reply to Streeting after his resignation. No mention of Streeting’s specific criticisms…
Dear Wes,
Thank you for your letter. I am very sorry that you have stepped down from Government. We have worked together for many years and I want to thank you for all your hard work in helping to get us back into Government and for all that you have achieved as Health Secretary.
When we came into Government the NHS was on its knees. Almost two years on, the statistics published today are a result of your work and determination and that of the whole of the NHS. Thanks to the choices we made to stabilise our economy, invest in our public services and reform the NHS, hospital waiting lists have been cut. Patients are now waiting less time for hospital appointments, ambulances are arriving sooner, the NHS is more productive, and people’s experience of healthcare is improving. The NHS is back on its feet.
Alongside these performance improvements, you and your team have set out an ambitious policy agenda. The 10 Year Health Plan will modernise the NHS and wider health system. The Casey Commission and Fair Pay Agreement for adult social care puts us on a path to a National Care Service we can be proud of. Alongside this, the National Cancer Plan, HIV Action Plan, National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, and Life Sciences Sector Plan are all ambitious pieces of work. The Tobacco and Vapes Act will save lives, and the Mental Health Act will improve lives.
This is the difference a Labour government makes. This is the change we are delivering.
Last week’s local election results were extremely tough. I know many colleagues saw good friends lose seats. Everyone in our party is acutely aware that our opponents are more dangerous than ever before. They are a real threat to the values we care about, to the communities we represent and to the country we love.
It is incumbent on all of us to rise to what I see as a battle for the soul of our nation. As part of that we must deliver on all of the promises we made to the country, including our promise to turn the page on the chaos that was roundly rejected by the British people at the last general election.
I am truly sorry you will no longer be sat at the Cabinet table helping to transform our National Health Service. But I have no doubt you will continue to play an important role in our party for many years to come. I hope we can work together to show that Labour in power can address the problems our opponents exploit, can install hope where they want despair, and can bring people together where they want division.
New polling from Survation in LabourList shows Streeting would take just 23 percent of the vote among 1,123 Labour members in a head-to-head contest against Starmer, who would cruise to victory on 53%. Not even close…
In fact, Starmer would also win against Al Carns, Darren Jones, Bridget Phillipson, Louise Haigh, Yvette Cooper, Shabana Mahmood and Lucy Powell. Three candidates would beat him: Andy Burnham, Ed Miliband, and Angela Rayner…
| 28% | 61% | 11% |
| 41% | 45% | 13% |
| 39% | 46% | 15% |
| 53% | 23% | 24% |
| 46% | 25% | 29% |
| 51% | 27% | 22% |
| 64% | 15% | 21% |
| 40% | 25% | 34% |
| 45% | 17% | 38% |
| 45% | 31% | 24% |
| 50% | 29% | 21% |
Survation CEO Damian Lyons Lowe said:
“In November last year, members were about as likely to back Wes Streeting as Keir Starmer in a hypothetical head to head membership contest.
“However, updates in February, and in member polling conducted yesterday and today (May 14) show a membership increasingly in support of the PM as the Health Secretary’s ambition to topple Keir Starmer have been made both plain and acute, while a significant minority of members – 36% – do not think there should be a change of leadership (57% do, 7% don’t know).
“The vast majority that do (84%) believe the PM should set out a timetable vs an immediate departure (14%) – with the most popular option being that a new leader is in place by conference in September (43%).”
At the time of going to pixel, the Streeting camp is insisting it has the numbers but “things are shifting“. Who will blink first? The stats above might give pause for thought…
Eleven Labour-affiliated unions – including GMB, Unite, and Unison – are expected to release a statement today saying the government “cannot continue on its current path” and predicting Starmer will have to resign before the next general election. Dialling up the pressure…
According to the Guardian, the statement will be released “at some point” later today. The draft reads:
“Labour’s affiliated unions have been clear that Labour cannot continue on its current path.
“Whilst we recognise progress has been made, such as aspects of the Employment Rights Act and the increase in the minimum wage, the results at the election last week were devastating.
“Labour is not doing enough to deliver the change that working people voted for at the general election. Our focus is on the fundamental change of direction on economic policy and political strategy that unions have been clear is needed, and not on the personalities and unfolding political drama in Westminster.”
“It’s clear that the prime minister will not lead Labour into the next election, and at some stage a plan will have to be put in place for the election of a new Leader.
“This is a point where the future of the party we founded will be debated and determined – and we are working closely as unions to shape a shared vision on policy, political strategy and economic policy that will reorient Labour back to working people, so Labour do what it was elected to do: govern in the interests of workers.”
Starmer staggers on for another day, but the rickety coup continues. Streeting has his ‘showdown’ meeting in Number 10 this morning…
Cabinet is ongoing at the time of going to pixel. 81 MPs (and counting) have called for Starmer to go. To be a fly on the wall in Number 10…
Starmer’s hail mary “reset” speech this morning was around 65% reheated from the Labour conference address he delivered eight months ago in Liverpool. A line-by-line analysis shows the same family anecdotes (albeit without the signature “toolmaker” refrain) , the same attack lines on Farage, the same education policy, and large chunks of the same phrasing. As if it wasn’t torturous enough the first time…
To give just one example, the youth jobs guarantee was already announced by Rachel Reeves at conference and then repeated by Starmer in his own address. So today was the third time lucky…
At conference:
“A new guarantee… training, work support or an apprenticeship… for every young person struggling to find work.”
And today…:
“Every young person struggling to find a job will get a guaranteed offer of a job, training or work placement.”
There’s plenty more. Take a look below…
| Conference · 29 Sept 2025 | Reset · 11 May 2026 |
|---|---|
| “A new guarantee… training, work support or an apprenticeship… for every young person struggling to find work.” | “Every young person struggling to find work will get a guaranteed offer of a job, training or a work placement.” |
| Youth jobs guarantee — third time of asking | |
| “Further education… so long a Cinderella service… ignored because politicians’ kids don’t go there.” | “Kids ignored by the status quo because politicians’ kids don’t go there.” |
| “Politicians’ kids” — near verbatim | |
| “A fight for the soul of our country… every bit as big as rebuilding Britain after the war.” | “This is nothing less than a battle for the soul of our nation.” |
| Soul of the nation — recycled framing | |
| “I thought about my sister… a care-worker… she works with adults with Down Syndrome.” | “My sister is a carer… working long hours on low pay… she didn’t even get sick pay in the pandemic.” |
| Sister anecdote — recycled | |
| “My brother… badly failed by the education system… put to one side… barely even seen.” | “My late brother, Nick… spent all his adult life going from one job to the next… the status quo did not work for him.” |
| Brother anecdote — recycled | |
| “They lived through austerity… Brexit… Covid… played by the rules.” | “The 2008 financial crash… the Tory austerity that followed it… Brexit… Covid… the Ukraine War.” |
| Crisis litany — recycled | |
| “More apprenticeships… more technical colleges — technical excellence colleges… qualifications linked to jobs.” | “We will go much further on our investment in apprenticeships… in technical excellence colleges… in special educational needs.” |
| Apprenticeships & technical colleges — recycled | |
| “Isaac… who scrubbed off that racist graffiti in York.” | “The people who paint over the graffiti that is racist.” |
| Graffiti motif — recycled | |
| Opening | Achievements | Family bio | Europe | Grievance | Closing |
| Reset | Iran | Steel | Education | March |
| Recycled from conference | New today |
Downing Street has admitted Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman will not attend Cabinet in their unpaid, potemkin roles as ‘Special Envoy on Global Finance and Cooperation’ and Adviser on Women and Girls’ respectively. As was obvious the moment these positions were announced, they exist purely as a firefighting exercise. A bit like bringing a water pistol to a forest fire…
Asked specifically what Brown would be doing, the spokesman told the Lobby hacks:
“…Obviously the global finances are very sharply in focus because of the conflict… there’s nobody better qualified in international financial arrangements and multinational arrangements to make our economy stronger… Gordon Brown is uniquely qualified for this role… he will now focus on international finance partnerships to support defence, security, and the economy.”
You’d think the incumbent Chancellor would be uniquely qualified to do those things. She apparently is too busy rowing with her sister at children’s birthday parties…
Batting away critical points from Nick Robinson on the Today Programme, Tony Blair said:
“I always used to say the greatest source of election-losing advice was the Guardian.”