The openly gay Wes Streeting, who recently resigned as Health Secretary, now aims to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He announced at a London appearance that he would run in a Labour Party leadership election to challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the 43-year-old confirmed.
Among other points, with Brexit in mind, Streeting took a markedly different tone from his former boss: “Leaving the EU was a catastrophic mistake,” he said. The decision has left the country poorer, less powerful, and with a loss of control.
Starmer wanted Brexit to work
Streeting added: “We need a new special relationship with the EU, because Britain’s future lies in Europe and one day it will rejoin the European Union.”
Starmer had always stressed that he did not seek a return to the EU, nor to the single market or the customs union. Starmer’s mantra had always been to make Brexit work. The backdrop is the fear of alienating portions of Labour’s traditional voters who had voted for Brexit. However, this approach did not win a majority of Britons who now want Brexit reversed.
Burnham should also have a shot at running
Streeting positions himself as a rival to Manchester’s mayor, Andy Burnham, who in the coming weeks is aiming to break into Parliament. Streeting stressed that he would wait to trigger the leadership contest until Burnham has the opportunity to throw his hat into the ring as well. To challenge the party leadership, backing from at least 81 MPs is required.
The charismatic Burnham is viewed as the clearest challenger to the politically wounded prime minister. He has not yet confirmed that he intends to challenge the PM himself. Yet there is little doubt about that. Whether he can win the by-election in the Makerfield constituency near Manchester remains far from a given.
“I came out in my twenties”
Wes Streeting spoke in detail for the first time about his coming-out in connection with his 2023 memoir “One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up.” In the book, he describes that he did not come out until his early twenties while studying at the University of Cambridge.
In a 2023 guest column for The Independent, he explained: “I came out in my twenties” and noted that he had long feared rejection. In an interview with The Guardian about the moment he came out, he said: “I can’t pretend to be someone I’m not any longer.” He described the ensuing relief as a “total release,” because “this enormous weight had lifted off me.”
His experiences continue to shape his drive for greater visibility and equality for LGBTQ+ people in British politics. However, in 2024, his stance on the ban on puberty blockers drew criticism for leaving the trans community behind (TheColu.mn reported). Streeting lives in London with his partner, Joe Dancey.
