Sitting at an ambulance station in Essex, I’m in the audience as the Labour leader Keir Starmer walks on stage to outline his party’s vision for the health service. Beside him, Wes Streeting — who could very well be the Health Secretary and the man tasked with running one of the most complicated government departments. Typically well-dressed, Streeting took to the podium — clearly very comfortable — and gave an introductory speech, emphasising the sense of duty he feels towards the NHS, mentioning his cancer treatment and how he watched the health service kick into gear as soon as he was diagnosed. We spoke briefly after the event where he was adamant there is more to his political convictions than his personal gratitude to the NHS, pointing to various experiences in his life which have shaped his politics. When we sat down a few days later in Westminster I asked him if Selwyn was one of those moments. There is a sense of fondness as he talks about Cambridge, which he describes as his “great escape” — his ticket out of the council estate in East London that he grew up on. “It was pure escapism; I was living my best life when I was at university and then out of term time I was back to my humdrum life.” It’s a sentiment I can somewhat relate to. I, like Streeting, grew up on a council estate in the East End of London — in the exact same area in fact — and I too was fortunate enough to study at Selwyn. There is of course a stark difference between the council estate and an Oxbridge college but did that experience influence Streeting’s current politics? He was after all very active at Cambridge serving as the JCR President, CUSU President and the President of the NUS. There’s a long pause after I ask that question – he sips his coffee, compliments my line of questioning, and says, “it changed my perception of a lot of things. I had never spent time with anyone from the upper classes before or anyone who was privately educated but they are normal, nice people. But I also saw education inequality and I want to spend my life and career in politics tackling this sort of injustice.” A politician’s answer. Streeting is clearly very proud and fond of his time at Cambridge, he mentions there’s a chapter on it in his autobiography, ‘One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up: A Memoir of Growing Up and Getting On’. But I put it to him that for someone who hasn’t served in government or as a party leader, it’s surely too soon to be writing such a book. There will be many who believe this autobiography is nothing more than self-promotion; I mention that one of his Labour colleagues told me that they think this is his pitch for No. 10. He is however adamant that this is not him selling his vision for the country, and it absolutely isn’t an attempt to sell himself as a future leader. “When people read it, they’ll see it’s unlike any political memoir they’ve read… politics comes in right at the end, in the conclusion,” he says.
But, I press, does he want to be Prime Minister? While Streeting is unapologetically ambitious, I am still slightly struck by the stark honesty in his response to this question: “If you really want to make a difference, the top job is the one to have.” Streeting qualifies further, saying he is fully behind Starmer and that being the Health Secretary would be a dream job — but, aged only 40, there’s still a long way in his career to go. That frankness is a rarity in politics and is likely to be a curse as much as it is a gift. Streeting says he runs towards political danger, wanting to tackle it head-on. It’s an unusual strategy and there are many within his party who aren’t a big fan of his as a result. “Naïve and grossly inexperienced” were the words used to describe him when I asked one of his Labour colleagues about him, while another rather ominously said “I have nothing to say, make of that what you will.” There is also a significant contingent of Labour MPs who believe Streeting went too far against Jeremy Corbyn. Many viewed him as the former Labour leader’s most critical voice within the party, and one Labour MP told me “some of us got sick
of the constant undermining”. Streeting is acutely aware of the opposition to him, although “everyone’s civil,” he tells me. He says he doesn’t regret his actions, arguing it was a moral issue to oppose the then-party leader. But with those who dislike him, there are plenty of Labour MPs who believe he is the future. Several told me they are adamant he will hold one of the big offices of state, while others tell me he will be party leader one day. But if we’ve learned anything over the years, making predictions in politics is a fool’s game and for now ambulance stations seem to be where Wes Streeting is happy.
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