STORY
Former Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said he would stand in any future Labour leadership contest, increasing pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer after a difficult period for the Government. Streeting, who recently resigned from the Cabinet, said Labour needed a clearer political direction and argued that the party should hold a full contest if the leadership became vacant.
Streeting also used his intervention to call for a closer relationship with the European Union, describing Brexit as a serious mistake and saying Britain should ultimately seek to rejoin the bloc. The comments place Europe back near the centre of Labour’s internal debate at a time when the party is also facing pressure from Reform UK in several areas that voted heavily for Brexit.
The remarks come as Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham seeks a route back to Westminster through the expected Makerfield by-election. Starmer has said he intends to continue in office, but the public interventions from senior Labour figures have underlined the scale of unease within the party following recent election setbacks.