Wes Streeting loses confidence in Starmer, resigns as UK Health Secretary

UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting resigns from the government. In a statement, Streeting said that he no longer had ‘confidence’ in Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership.

Starmer is under growing pressure to step down following disastrous results in last week’s local elections.

He has resigned from the ruling Labour government, deepening a crisis that threatens to topple Prime Minister Keir Starmer after less than two years in office.

Streeting posted on X on Thursday that he no longer had “confidence” in Starmer’s leadership, and there was “no doubt” that the party’s unpopularity was a “major and common factor in our defeat across England, Scotland and Wales."

“It is now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election, and that Labour MPs and Labour unions want the debate about what comes next to be a battle of ideas, not of personalities or petty factionalism,” the 43-year-old said.

“It needs to be broad, and it needs the best possible field of candidates. I support that approach and I hope that you will facilitate this.”

His announcement fell short of triggering a formal leadership contest against Starmer but piles pressure on the British leader, who has so far weathered a drip-feed of demands for his resignation.