STORY
Wes Streeting has set out a series of policy positions that put him at odds with both Sir Keir Starmer and Sir Tony Blair. In an interview reported by The Independent, the former Health Secretary said Labour should consider cutting national insurance and issuing new North Sea oil and gas licences.
Streeting also criticised Starmer’s leadership, saying voters did not have an emotional connection with the Prime Minister and that the Government had a problem of substance as well as presentation. He said Labour should stick to its manifesto commitments on Europe in the short term, while still supporting the UK’s eventual return to the European Union.
His comments come ahead of a possible Labour leadership contest later this year and after he resigned from Government to prepare for a challenge. Streeting also criticised elements of Blair’s recent intervention, arguing that the former Prime Minister’s approach did not sufficiently address inequality and the political forces driving public discontent.