Wes Streeting displays absolutely no subtlety as he goes on manoeuvres
Wes Streeting during an interview with The Observer said
‘We’re not going to win the next election by trying to out-Reform Reform. That’s not who we are. Those aren’t our values and we’ve got to beat them, not join them.’ * He said Britain has taken a ‘massive economic hit’ from Brexit. ‘I’m really uncomfortable with the level of taxation in this country. We’re asking a lot of individual taxpayers, we’re asking a lot of businesses. We’ve got a level of indebtedness that we need to take very seriously. The best way for us to get more growth into our economy is a deeper trading relationship with the EU’
What I find interesting about this is that it will appeal to the voters, particularly those who have a vote in the next Labour leadership election. It might be a way Labour recover in the polls and win the next election given how unpopular Brexit is with the voters.
Streeting is publicly repudiating Sir Keir Starmer which is a sign of the lack of authority Sir Keir possesses and why more and more people think Starmer’s premiership ends in 2026, I wonder if Streeting’s lack of subtlety might damage him, but The Times notes
Streeting’s comments have been seen in Downing Street as a clear attempt to pitch himself as a successor to the prime minister among Labour members who are overwhelmingly in favour of a closer relationship with the EU.
One senior government source said the interview showed Downing Street’s weakness, with Streeting feeling that he could publicly distance himself from the prime minister on two important policy issues.
“It is not even subtle,” the source said. “Wes is setting out his stall for the leadership and there is nothing No 10 can do about it.”
Another senior Labour source said any leadership contest would never be won by a candidate who argued for the status quo.
TSE