Wes Streeting has resigned as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, admitting that he has “lost confidence” in Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.
Streeting, who has been MP for Ilford North since May 2015, was appointed health secretary on 5 July 2024 following Labour’s general election victory.
In a letter to the prime minister published today, he said: “I have delivered against the ambitious targets you set for me when I became your Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
“Today’s figures confirm that we surpassed our waiting times target despite strikes, and that waiting lists fell by 110,000 in March – the biggest monthly drop outside of Covid since 2008 meaning that we are on track to achieve the fastest improvement in NHS waiting times in history.”
However, despite listing his achievements and expressing appreciation for the opportunity to serve, he said “there is no doubt that the unpopularity of this government was a major and common factor in our defeats across England, Scotland and Wales,” adding that “good Labour people lost through no fault of their own”.
He added that “having lost confidence in your leadership, I have concluded that it would be dishonourable and unprincipled” to remain in post.
Streeting’s letter continues: “It is now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election and that Labour MPs and Labour Unions want the debate about what comes next to be a battle of ideas, not of personalities or petty factionalism.
“It needs to be broad, and it needs the best possible field of candidates. I support that approach, and I hope that you will facilitate this.”
He concludes: “Serving as your Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has been the greatest joy of my life and, regardless of our differences this week, I remain truly grateful to you for the opportunity to serve and I am deeply saddened to be leaving government in this way.”
Responding to Streeting’s resignation, Sarah Woolnough, chief executive at The King’s Fund, said: “Wes Streeting’s near 700 days as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care have been eventful.
“His very first announcement would set the tone for his ‘move fast and break things’ approach declaring that ‘from today, the policy of this department is that the NHS is broken’. He has not stuck around long enough to fix it, but he can point to some areas of progress.”
“In terms of legacy, while we have seen many policy announcements, we haven’t seen this flow through to implementation in several areas.
“Streeting is also responsible for setting the wheels in motion for the largest NHS restructure in over a decade.
“Reorganisation is a tightrope many former health secretaries have tried to walk, often falling from it, frustrating their attempts to improve performance and distracting NHS staff from delivering care.
“Similar warnings have been made about this plan, and it remains to be seen whether the upheaval is worth the pain, or whether it will deliver any real benefit for patients.
“’A change of Secretary of State is a big deal no matter the circumstance, but on the day after a King’s Speech which included the legislation required to restructure the health service, the potential ramifications are even more acute,” Woolnough adds.
Earlier this week, Dr Zubir Ahmed also resigned as health innovation and safety minister in protest over Keir Starmer’s leadership and the Labour Party’s poor performance in the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.
