Health secretary resigns amid continuing standoff with doctorspublished at 15:25 BST

15:25 BST

Hugh Pym
Health editor

Wes Streeting leaves the Department of Health and Social Care with the doctors' dispute in England unresolved. This remains a challenge for the government.

Within hours of Labour's election victory in 2024 he was pushing to re-start talks to solve the row over junior doctors' pay in England.

Strikes had taken place since March 2023 with the doctors' union, the BMA, in a bitter dispute with the Conservative government. It wasn't long before Streeting announced a deal with more money offered, arguing that it needed Labour to sort out the problem.

But by last year, the BMA was staging more walkouts by resident doctors (formerly know as juniors), calling for higher pay and more training posts.

The health secretary promised more on the jobs issue but argued that there wasn't the money to add to previous generous wage deals.

And that's where we are now - with a continuing standoff.

What's more, consultants and senior medics are balloting for action in their own pay dispute. The shadow of wider strikes in England this summer is looming whoever is in the secretary of state's chair.

Becky Morton
Political reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Alan Gemmell – who is backing Wes Streeting to be the next Labour leader – insists the former health secretary has the support of more than 81 Labour MPs.

This number – 20% of the parliamentary party – is how many must publicly back a single candidate to trigger a leadership contest. Gemmell has told BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme that Streeting has “taken a principled decision today not to trigger a contest”.

“It's clear in conversations with MPs and with the unions that the party wants a discussion, a battle of ideas, an open contest, a broad contest for the direction that we should take and how we fix the problems that we're in,” the MP for Central Ayrshire says.

“I hope that we will see over the next few days a range of people setting out their stall for why we need a more ambitious agenda for our government," he says.

"I'm sure that we will see Wes making the argument for why he would be a great leader of our country."

Pushed over whether Streeting would throw his hat in the ring, Gemmell says: “I can't tell you what Wes will do tomorrow.” He adds: “We have had a principled decision by Wes to resign from the government having lost confidence in the prime minister.”

Image source, Reuters

Keir Starmer faces growing pressure to step down after Streeting resigned as health secretary.

The PM will now need to find a replacement for the cabinet minister as well as fight off a possible leadership contest.

Streeting's strategy appears to be to pile the pressure on the prime minister to quit, writes our political correspondent. It would mean that Labour MPs could avoid having to challenge Starmer.

But Downing Street has previously said that Starmer will fight any leadership challenge mounted against him.

Streeting needs 81 Labour MPs - 20% of the Parliamentary Labour Party - to agree to back him if he wants to challenge Starmer in a leadership contest. Other candidates could also join so long as they also secure 81 backers.

A leadership contest can also be launched if Starmer resigns.

As a reminder, nearly 90 Labour MPs have said the PM should go or have called for him to set out a timetable for his departure.

However, over 150 MPs have also indicated support for the prime minister or said now is not the right time for a leadership contest.

Image source, Jeff Moore/PA Wire

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has reacted to Wes Streeting's resignation, describing it as "a hit job" on the prime minister.

She says Labour "has now descended into civil war", adding: "It doesn't matter which Labour MP is in charge. They're all queuing up to make things worse."

Meanwhile, Green Party leader Zack Polanski describes Streeting as "more of the same, but even worse" than Starmer.

He adds: "If Labour thinks Wes Streeting is the answer, they obviously don’t know the question the country is asking."

David Doogan,thenewly-elected Westminster leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), has also weighed in. Reacting to a post on X about Streeting's resignation, he quotes a line from Labour's 2024 manifesto: "We can stop the chaos."

Image source, PA Media

We are yet to hear from the prime minister following former Health Secretary Wes Streeting's resignation.

Downing Street said earlier today that Starmer would fight any leadership challenge mounted against him - the “position hasn’t changed since he set that out on Monday”, the PM's official spokesman said.

• As a reminder: If a leadership challenge was to be triggered, the prime minister would automatically be on the ballot paper if he chose to contest it

Starmer told his regular cabinet meeting on Monday that while he takes "responsibility" for Labour's disastrous election results, the "process for challenging a leader" has "not been triggered", and he and the cabinet should "get on with governing".

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

Image source, EPA

Sources close to former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner have told the BBC she would be prepared to enter a leadership contest if necessary, as a candidate of the centre-left.

Despite Wes Streeting’s resignation, a formal leadership challenge has not been launched.

His camp insist he has the support of the 81 Labour MPs that are necessary to trigger a contest, but that he wants to have a "broad" debate which could take place if Starmer steps down.

While Rayner isn’t angling for the top job, now that her tax affairs have been settled she would be willing to carry the centre-left banner against Wes Streeting on the party’s right.

Some MPs have expressed interest in a "balanced ticket" with a centre-left leader and a deputy from the right or vice versa, but I understand Angela Rayner believes there should be a contest between the two wings.

A survey by the Labour List - an independent website catering for Labour Party members and supporters - suggested that if Keir Starmer contested a leadership election, he would defeat Wes Streeting but struggle to defeat Angela Rayner or Ed Miliband, and lose by some margin to Andy Burnham.

Image source, PA Media

Former Health Secretary Wes Streeting has become the first cabinet minister to resign from Keir Starmer's government in the wake of last week's elections results.

He follows four other ministers who quit earlier this week.

On Tuesday morning, communities minister Miatta Fahnbulleh, MP for Peckham quit. "The public does not believe that you can lead this change - and nor do I," she told the PM.

Jess Phillips was next to resign as safeguarding minister, and said that "deeds, not words are what matter" and that the current government was not "grasping this rare opportunity with the gusto that's needed".

She was closely followed by victims minister Alex Davies-Jones, MP for Pontypridd, who said now is the time for "bold, radical action".

Finally, there was Zubir Ahmed, MP for Glasgow South West, who quit as a health minister. He described Starmer's position as "wholly untenable" and called for him to set out his timetable for an "orderly transition".

Streeting's strategy seems to be to pile pressure on PM to quitpublished at 13:56 BST

13:56 BST

Joe Pike
Political correspondent

The Streeting strategy now seems to be getting his supporters to pile pressure on the PM to quit, and therefore avoid Labour MPs having to decide whether to challenge Keir Starmer.

"We wait and see what Keir does," says one senior ally of the former health secretary. "There’s still a chance Keir goes of his own accord and sets a timetable and ends this chaos."

Supporters of Wes Streeting claim he has the 81 MPs needed to mount a leadership challenge. They also suggest more ministers could resign from government later today, although not necessarily at cabinet level.

Image source, Jeff Overs/BBC

Catherine West, the MP who just days ago threatened to challenge Keir Starmer's leadership, has been talking to Radio 4's World At One following Wes Streeting's resignation.

She says "the important thing is we are now having the honest conversation which we need to have", adding that last week's elections are now behind Labour and the next challenge for the party is how to beat Reform UK.

Asked twice if Streeting's resignation is what she wanted, West doesn't answer but says she reiterates she wants to see a "honest conversation" - and for the cabinet to "get around the table and nominate someone".

She says she wants to see "people coming forward" to stand as leader, including the prime minister.

"Because, of course, many of us like Keir very much as a person," she says. "He's got excellent credentials on the international stage and he could well win a competition if he put his name forward."

Asked who she would vote for in a Streeting vs Starmer contest, West says: "Well, we don't know who the other candidates are."

Streeting wants this to be about Starmerpublished at 13:41 BST

13:41 BST

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

There is one especially brutal paragraph in Wes Streeting’s letter.

He writes: "Where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift. This was underscored by your speech on Monday.

"Leaders take responsibility, but too often that has meant other people falling on their swords. You also need to listen to your colleagues, including backbenchers, and the heavy-handed approach to dissenting voices diminishes our politics."

This will resonate with many who have served this government as ministers or officials, including some who are still in those roles.

In combination with the section of the letter where Streeting calls for a broad contest, this is the former health secretary trying to depersonalise the issue.

The debate this week has been about Streeting, his conduct and his campaign.

Now Streeting wants it to be about Starmer, his leadership and where he is taking the Labour Party.

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

Two of Wes Streeting’s closest cabinet allies, Peter Kyle and Pat McFadden, are not quitting and continue to support the prime minister.

It’s not a great surprise given they were among those who firmly backed the prime minister after Tuesday’s cabinet meeting.

But it suggests there will not be a slew of resignations to follow Streeting’s, at least at cabinet level.

Wes Streeting has resigned as health secretary, amid speculation that he could launch a bid for the Labour leadership.

Here is a run down of the key lines in his resignation letter -

Streeting says in his letter to the prime minister that he has "lost confidence" in Keir Starmer's leadership, so it would be "dishonourable and unprincipled" to remain in post.

He calls last week's election results "unprecedented" both in terms of the scale of the defeat and the consequences of the failure, adding that progressives across the UK are "increasingly losing faith" in the Labour Party's responsibility of offering hope that Britain's best days lie ahead.

The former health secretary also calls out specific reasons for the "unpopularity" of the current government including the decision to cut the winter fuel allowance and the "island of strangers" speech made by Starmer in May 2025.

He tells Starmer: "You also need to listen to your colleagues, including backbenchers, and the heavy-handed approach to dissenting voices diminishes our politics."

Streeting says it is now clear Starmer will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election, and that the debate about what comes next needs "the best possible field of candidates".

He adds that serving as health secretary was "the greatest joy of my life", saying that the NHS is "on the road to recovery," but that there is "so much more to do".

Image source, Reuters

Onus is now on Andy Burnham to prove he has a route into Parliamentpublished at 13:23 BST

13:23 BST

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

Image source, EPA

The most crucial paragraph of Streeting’s letter in terms of what happens next is his penultimate paragraph, where he says this:

“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.”

A broad debate is code for Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, being able to stand as a candidate if he is able to.

To be able to become a candidate, Burnham would have to become an MP.

The onus is now on Burnham to prove that he does indeed have the plausible route into Parliament (ie an MP resigning to hand over to him) that his allies have claimed he has for some weeks now.

If Burnham cannot come up with the goods, then it is likely that Streeting and his supporters will press for a rapid contest in which Streeting would be more likely to face off against Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister, or perhaps former party leader Ed Miliband.

Here is the resignation letter from Health Secretary Wes Streeting, in full:

Dear Prime Minister,

The results are in and I am pleased to report that 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.

The only question that matters in government is whether we leave our successors a better situation than we inherited. Ambulance response times for heart attacks and strokes are now the fastest in five years. A&E waiting times are improving, with four-hour waiting figures also the best in five years. We've recruited 2,000 more GPs and satisfaction has risen from 60 per cent to 74.5 per cent since we came to office. We hit our target of recruiting 8,500 mental health staff three years early. We've achieved this at the same as balancing the books for the first time in nine years and smashing the 2 per cent NHS productivity target by achieving 2.8 per cent, which means the investment we're putting in goes further and that the public can have greater confidence that their money is being well-spent.

None of this would have been achieved without the brilliant leadership team of ministers, officials, and special advisers we have established in the Department of Health and Social Care and the NHS - superbly led by Samantha Jones and Sir Jim Mackey, who has been a knight in shining armour and a brilliant leader of 1.5 million staff upon whom all this success depends.

The National Health Service is the embodiment of all that is best about Britain and our values. Thanks to our Labour government, it is on the road to recovery: lots done, but so much more to do.

These are all good reasons for me to remain in post, but as you know from our conversation earlier this week, having lost confidence in your leadership, I have concluded that it would be dishonourable and unprincipled to do so.

Last week's election results were unprecedented - both in terms of the scale of the defeat and the consequences of that failure. For the first time in our country's history, nationalists are in power in every corner of the United Kingdom - including a dangerous English nationalism represented by Nigel Farage and Reform UK. This represents both an existential threat to the future integrity of the United Kingdom, but Reform UK also represent a threat to the values and ideals that have made this country great. Progressives across our country understand this threat and our responsibility to confront it, but they are increasingly losing faith that the Labour Party is capable of rising to our historic responsibility of defeating racism and offering hope that Britain's best days lie ahead through social democracy.

There is no doubt that the unpopularity of this Government was a major and common factor in our defeats across England, Scotland and Wales. Good Labour people lost through no fault of their own. There are many reasons we could point to: from individual mistakes on policy like the decision to cut the winter fuel allowance to the 'island of strangers' speech, all of which have left the country not knowing who we are or what we really stand for.

You have many great strengths that I admire. You led our party to a victory few thought possible in 2024 and I was proud to fight alongside you in the trenches of that campaign. You have shown courage and statesmanship on the world stage - not least in keeping Britain out of the war in Iran.

But where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift. This was underscored by your speech on Monday. Leaders take responsibility, but too often that has meant other people falling on their swords. You also need to listen to your colleagues, including backbenchers, and the heavy-handed approach to dissenting voices diminishes our politics.

As a member of your government, I know better than most that governing is hard. It should be, because it matters. There are enormous challenges facing this country. For the first time in our history the next generation faces a worse inheritance than the last. We have wars raging in Europe and the Middle East that are making our challenges harder, not easier. We are in the foothills of a technological industrial revolution that has huge implications for every aspect of our lives - not least the future of work. It is not clear whether democracy or tyranny will define the 21st century. After the financial crisis, austerity, the disaster of Brexit, Liz Truss, the covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine and now the war in Iran, the country needs to believe again that things can be better than this and that politics is part of the answer, not the source of the problem. These are big challenges that require a bold vision and bigger solutions than we are offering. 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.

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.

Yours sincerely, The Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP

Image source, Wes Streeting

Image source, PA Media

Wes Streeting has resigned as health secretary.

In a letter shared on X he says he has "lost confidence" in Keir Starmer's leadership and it would be "dishonourable and unprincipled" to remain in government.

Nabiha Ahmed
Live reporter

Starmer is facing mounting pressure to walk away, and murmurs of a potential leadership challenge are getting louder. How did this happen?

7 May: Labour suffers heavy election losses, losing over 1,100 English council seats, seeing an end to is 27-year rule in Wales, and coming a distant joint second with Reform in Scotland.

9 May: Labour backbencher Catherine West gives Starmer's cabinet an ultimatum: to challenge his leadership by Monday, or she'll do so herself.

10 May: West says she'll hear what Starmer has to say before collating a list of Labour MPs who want to trigger a leadership election. Angela Rayner also issues a statement saying that Labour's strategy "needs to change".

Image source, PA Media

11 May: In a major speech,Starmer promises to tackle "big challenges" facing the country and prove his "doubters wrong". Calls for him to step down continue. Meanwhile West does not launch a bid, but gives the cabinet "notice" that she's collecting names of MPs who want the PM to set a timetable for his departure.

12 May: At Number 10, Starmer tells his cabinet he will "get on with governing" since a leadership challenge hasn't been triggered. Later, four government ministers resign and dozens of MPs call on the PM to either quit or outline a timetable for an orderly exit.

13 May: A 17-minute meeting occurs between Streeting and Starmer at Downing Street. Later, during a debate around the King's Speech, Starmer says any potential leadership contest would "plunge us into chaos".

This brings us to today. You can catch up on what's happened so far here.

Joe Pike
Political correspondent

Are we seeing the Theresa May-ification of Keir Starmer?

Some supposed supporters of the PM think so: they believe his position is being bolstered by sympathy.

“Like Theresa May, he’s inherently decent, but politically inept,” says one MP who is backing Starmer. “But the way any leadership contest happens is important. He needs to be allowed to leave on his own terms.”

The sympathy a lot of MPs feel for the embattled prime minister mirrors what many Conservatives felt towards the end of Theresa May’s premiership.

In December 2018 she survived two confidence votes - one among Tory MPs and the other of the whole House of Commons - and it was another six months before she eventually stood down.

More than 110 Labour MPs have signed a statement arguing “this is no time for a leadership contest”. But not all of those MPs are enthusiastic supporters of the prime minister.

“I’ve not signed up to have him forever”, says one MP. “But the context is really important. I don’t want to be remembered for triggering the first Labour prime minister for 14 years.”

Image source, Getty Images

It's all starting to look a bit messypublished at 12:15 BST

12:15 BST

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent at Downing Street

It’s just gone midday.

Wes Streeting’s allies believed he would have launched his leadership challenge by now.

Wes Streeting’s foes believed he would have launched his leadership challenge by now.

He has not.

That silence from the health secretary is becoming increasingly exasperating for lots of MPs on all sides of this shadow contest who would rather like some clarity.

What explains it? As Chris writes below, Streeting’s supporters claim he has the 80 MPs backing him that he needs to go to the Labour membership, but that they are waiting to see if members of the cabinet might urge Keir Starmer to quit.

Image source, Reuters

That claim is being met with, to put it lightly, extreme scepticism by other MPs. There is no sign as it stands of any movement from the cabinet.

Yes, many senior ministers have been close, personally and ideologically, to Streeting for years, but that is not the same as being willing to take out a sitting Labour leader on his behalf.

There are ministers I’ve heard from at different levels of seniority who would vote for him if there were a contest, but believe it’s on him to find the numbers among backbench MPs to force a challenge, and are frustrated by the drawn-out way he is approaching things.

It’s almost a week since Streeting - who let’s remember remains the cabinet minister responsible for the health service in England - has said anything in public.

It’s all starting to look a bit messy for him.

Keir Starmer will fight any leadership challenge mounted against him, Downing Street says.

The prime minister’s official spokesman says the “position hasn’t changed since he set that out on Monday”.

The spokesman was also asked if the PM thinks Wes Streeting has been a successful health secretary, and he says that Streeting has had a "very positive impact on people's lives".

Downing Street says Prime Minister Keir Starmer maintains confidence in Health Secretary Wes Streeting, and that his “position hasn’t changed” since Wednesday.

Asked whether Streeting remained in his cabinet post, Starmer’s official spokesman says: “Yes.”

Questioned on whether the PM had full confidence in him, the spokesperson says: “Yes, the position hasn’t changed.”