Streeting urges Starmer to go further on Brexit as leadership speculation swells
Health Secretary calls for closer ties with Europe and signals possible leadership bid amid internal Labour tensions
Wes Streeting has urged Labour leader Keir Starmer to go further in undoing Brexit, and he refused to rule out a future bid for the party’s top job as leadership speculation intensifies within Labour circles. In comments published Saturday, the Health Secretary said the UK could return to the EU’s customs union and pressed for closer trading links with Europe, even as the government maintains it will stay outside the customs union and the single market, with no return of freedom of movement.
Streeting noted that Starmer’s government has already moved closer to the bloc, citing a May trade deal that included concessions on red tape and fishing. He said the country should aim higher, while emphasising that any economic partnership must not entail restored freedom of movement.
The observer interview captures a growing tension inside Labour over the country’s post-Brexit economic relationship and the leadership question, just as the party hews to a position of openness to Europe while keeping the political path murky for would-be successors. Streeting told The Observer: "The reason why leaving the EU hit us so hard as a country is because of the enormous economic benefits that came with being in the single market and the customs union. This is a country and a government that wants a closer trading relationship with Europe. The challenge is any economic partnership we have can't lead to a return to freedom of movement." He added: "We've taken a massive economic hit leaving the European Union. I'm really uncomfortable with the level of taxation in this country." The interview also framed Streeting as acknowledging the starting point of the revised deal while urging further steps toward integration with European markets.
Streeting has previously refused to rule out a leadership challenge, insisting that claims of a plot to oust Starmer were unfounded. He told Sky News that there was "no" leadership plan and dismissed briefing as unhelpful to the Prime Minister. He said those spreading rumours were "watching too much Celebrity Traitors" and noted that such talk did not help the party or the country.
Meanwhile, The Times reported that Starmer is acutely aware of the growing threat to his position and is actively reaching out to Labour backbenchers in a bid to shore up support ahead of any contest. The coverage comes as internal Labour chatter continues to swirl around potential leadership contenders, including Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who has also been cited by some as a rising figure in party circles.
In parallel coverage, The Mail on Sunday cited claims that Angela Rayner has struck a deal to partner with Andy Burnham should he launch a leadership bid against Starmer. The report alleged that Rayner would return to the role of deputy prime minister and receive a high-profile Cabinet post in Burnham’s administration, should he win the contest. The paper noted Burnham’s search for a safe North of England seat to enter Parliament and challenge Starmer, with Liverpool’s seats and candidates featuring prominently in discussions.
Sources cited by the Mail on Sunday described the arrangement as already arranged, while other reports suggested Burnham had been in talks with Liverpool Walton MP Dan Carden about that seat, which is currently held by a member of the Labour Party with a substantial majority. Those discussions reportedly did not progress, according to some accounts, as Burnham weighed his options in a crowded field of potential candidates. A Labour MP backing Burnham said the deal, if it exists, would see Rayner return to the deputy role and Burnham assume a senior Cabinet post in a Burnham administration.
The reported developments illustrate the wider context of Labour’s post-Brexit strategy and the ongoing leadership conversations within the party. Streeting’s comments underscore a push among some Labour lawmakers for a more proactive stance toward reintegration with Europe, even as the party navigates a delicate balancing act between courting backers in the North and maintaining the current leadership’s position. The leadership question remains unresolved as the party continues to debate its path forward on Brexit, the economy, and national unity.