UK Health Secretary resigns, sparking leadership speculation

UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting has resigned from Keir Starmer's government, saying he has lost faith in the Prime Minister's leadership, sparking speculation he will soon challenge to lead the Labour party.

The move comes a day after Starmer laid out the government's legislative priorities for the next year in the King's Speech, which included the latest efforts to reform the health service via the NHS Modernisation Bill.

Streeting has not yet formally triggered a challenge, which would almost certainly bring additional candidates out of the shadows, but resigning from Cabinet is a necessary step to take before doing so.

In his resignation letter, Streeting listed the achievements at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) since Labour came into power in 2024, including just-published figures indicating that an ongoing effort to reduce waiting times for elective treatment has been met.

He also pointed to improved A&E waiting times, the recruitment of 2,000 more GPs and 8,500 mental health staff, and "smashing the 2 per cent NHS productivity target by achieving 2.8 per cent, which means the investment we're putting in goes further and that the public can have greater confidence that their money is being well-spent."

He added that the NHS "is the embodiment of all that is best about Britain and our values. Thanks to our Labour government, it is on the road to recovery: lots done, but so much more to do," adding: "These are all good reasons for me to remain in post, but as you know from our conversation earlier this week, having lost confidence in your leadership, I have concluded that it would be dishonourable and unprincipled to do so."

Streeting – who had an ominously short meeting with the PM yesterday – pulled no punches in his letter, writing: "Where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift."

He added: "Leaders take responsibility, but too often that has meant other people falling on their swords," likely alluding to the recent firings of experienced civil servants, including former chiefs of staff Sue Gray and Morgan McSweeney, cabinet secretary Chris Wormald, and Foreign Office permanent secretary Olly Robbins.

"You also need to listen to your colleagues, including backbenchers, and the heavy-handed approach to dissenting voices diminishes our politics," said Streeting.

Among the possible candidates to replace him at the hem of the DHSC are Minister for Care Stephen Kinnock, Minister of Secondary Care Karin Smyth, and Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention Sharon Hodgson.

Now, attention will be focused on other Cabinet members, to see if they follow Streeting's move, and the actions of other potential leaders such as former Deputy PM Angela Raynor, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham (who would need to find a route back into Parliament first), and Ed Milliband, a former Labour leader who is currently Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.