Wes Streeting ‘frustrated’ by ‘technocratic approach’ to governing

Wes Streeting has voiced frustration with the Labour leadership’s “practical, technocratic approach” just weeks after he was accused of plotting to unseat Sir Keir Starmer.

The Health Secretary warned that the Government is failing to communicate its achievements and values, and risks presenting itself as the “maintenance department for the country”.

The Prime Minister has been dogged by speculation about his political future as Labour struggles in the polls.

Mr Streeting’s veiled criticism of his approach comes after he last month denied seeking to replace Sir Keir in Downing Street.

The briefings against the Health Secretary were an apparent ploy to warn off potential leadership contenders, although Sir Keir said he was assured they did not emanate from No 10.

Mr Streeting, in an interview with The New Statesman published on Thursday, said: “It sort of came from the blue.

“I couldn’t understand what on Earth they were thinking. Putting to one side the attempted drive-by on me, I could not understand the political strategy of people who purport to be the Prime Minister’s allies going out and saying he’s fighting for his job.”

Without naming Sir Keir, he told the magazine Labour is at risk of presenting itself as the “maintenance department for the country”.

“The problem with that kind of practical, technocratic approach is that if someone else comes along and says, ‘Well, I’ve got a maintenance company too, and mine’s cheaper,’ why wouldn’t people go, ‘OK, well, we’ll give that maintenance team a try’?”

The Cabinet minister said he is “pretty frustrated” by the party’s predicament.

“I feel like on one hand, since we’ve come into government, we’ve actually done a huge amount that we said we’d do… But that’s not reflected in the polls, and I don’t think it’s even reflected in our storytelling. I think we sell ourselves short.”

Reflecting on Labour’s path to electoral success, Mr Streeting said it must communicate its values “so that people understand the choice that they face at the next general election”.

Framing the next election as a battle between Labour and Reform UK, Mr Streeting said: “We’re certainly not going to win by out-reforming Reform…

“We can take them on and beat them with values-driven Labour arguments. We can reunite the centre and the left, and I think that is the historic responsibility that we have.”