Carolyn Guse retweetledi
Wes Streeting’s position today looks far weaker than it did yesterday. What we are witnessing is not authority, but overreach. In attempting to move outside the proper process, he has exposed himself to criticism from all sides.
John McDonnell’s intervention feels less like a random attack and more like a calculated reminder that Streeting does not command the numbers. The left have taken their moment, and they are pressing it.
More telling, however, is the question of loyalty. Keir Starmer entrusted Streeting with one of the most demanding roles in government, overseeing the vast machinery of the National Health Service. It is a position that requires discipline, judgement, and above all, alignment with the leadership.
If Streeting has chosen to test that boundary, he has done so without the necessary backing. That is a dangerous place to stand in Westminster.
What follows will be decisive. Without support, there is no path to challenge. Only pressure, scrutiny, and the quiet closing of ranks around the Prime Minister.
If anything, this looks less like a leadership move and more like a miscalculation that others are now exploiting.
John McDonnell@johnmcdonnellMP
Just a thought. Wes Streeting owes his political status to the support he’s received over years from Peter Mandelson & Morgan McSweeney at Labour Together. He wouldn’t make a move against Keir Starmer without Mandelson’s say so. So look on this as Mandelson’s & Morgan’s revenge.
English
