Wes Streeting's Bold Move and Its Political Implications
Wes Streeting, the former Health Secretary, has taken a significant step in the ongoing Labour leadership contest by explicitly calling for Britain to rejoin the European Union. This move is seen as a strategic attempt to position himself as a unifying force within the party, but it has also sparked controversy and raised questions about his motivations.
In Makerfield, where Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is hoping to fend off Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in the upcoming June 18 election, 65% of local voters supported Brexit in the 2016 referendum. With outgoing Labour MP Josh Simons having secured a majority of just 5,300, Burnham is unlikely to welcome the attention drawn to his anti-Brexit views. For Streeting to have any hope of winning the leadership, he will need to focus on southern, Remain-supporting voters who are increasingly shifting towards the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats.
Streeting appears to view pro-Brexit, Red Wall seats in the North and Midlands as a lost cause. However, Burnham does not have this luxury if he is to win Makerfield, re-enter the Commons, and claim No 10. The decision to bring up the issue of EU rejoining has caused frustration among government sources who are not aligned with any leadership camp. One source criticized Streeting, saying: "Wes claims to be a unifying force, but he has done this for his pure, selfish ambition."
After confirming his intention to stand in the leadership contest, Streeting stated: "Leaving the European Union was a catastrophic mistake. The biggest economic opportunity we have is on our doorstep. We need a new special relationship with the EU, because Britain's future lies with Europe – and one day, one day back in the European Union."
Nigel Farage responded to Streeting’s announcement by claiming: "The North will be lost to Labour for ever." A Whitehall source commented: "In the local election, voters sent a clear message: they are frustrated with a political system they no longer feel serves them. Wes's response? To attempt to reopen the most divisive debate in modern British politics and say that he would turn the next general election into a de facto second referendum. That is not leadership, and it isn't uniting our country. It is desperate self-interest – and a total betrayal of Labour values."
Another source added: "This is the one policy that uniquely serves to divide Britain and Wes has reached for it straight away. It looks like he seeks to impose five years of misery on the country. He claims to be a uniting leader but his first impactful thing has been to choose something to divide the country."
The source continued: "This is a desperate attempt to shore up support based on identity politics and a culture war which frankly most people gave up on many years ago. Student politics."
At a fringe Labour event, Streeting told supporters that any move towards rejoining the EU would require a fresh mandate from the public. He said: "We do have to respect the fact that we left the European Union through a democratic choice, so we will need to, in future manifestos, seek a new mandate."
He also emphasized that he would not propose breaking a manifesto that the party stood on during the last general election, stating: "Frankly, trust in politics and politicians is in even shorter supply than money in our country."
Streeting expressed his support for Andy Burnham in the by-election, saying: "We've got to make sure we deliver the change people wanted to see, that we go into the next election with an equally bold and ambitious plan."
He attempted to frame his campaign as a contest of ideas rather than personalities, stating: "We need a proper contest where all candidates can put their best foot forward. It's got to be a battle of ideas, so that whoever wins comes out strong before it."
Acknowledging the threat posed by Farage, Streeting said: "For the first time in Labour's history, our biggest opponents aren't the Conservatives, but Nigel Farage and Reform. Scottish and Welsh nationalism represents an existential threat to the future integrity of our entire country, but the English nationalism represented by Farage and Reform is a threat to the values and ideals that have made this country great."
He concluded: "Progressives understand this threat, and they want us to confront it, but they are increasingly losing faith the Labour Party is capable of rising to the challenge."
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