Supporters of Jeremy Corbyn should “dry their eyes” and accept his leadership was a “shipwreck”, according to Wes Streeting, who has defended Labour’s “tight” spending plans.
Speaking on Beth Rigby Interviews… the shadow health secretary rejected claims his party’s offer on the NHS is too similar to the Conservative government’s but refused to give a financial commitment as the next election approaches.
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He acknowledged there is “frustration” when Labour is pressed to outline its spending plans but “the answer is either no or not yet confirmed”.
“But that’s because we are absolutely determined, both to rebuild trust in politics, but also to rebuild stability in the public finances,” Mr Streeting said.
Labour has promised to build an NHS “fit for the future” with a focus on reforms and prevention.
Steve Barclay, the current Tory health secretary, has also said the health service should “evolve” to focus on prevention – amid warnings it is in “critical condition” and may not make its 100th anniversary in 2048.
But Mr Streeting said “shoot me now” when it was put to him that Labour’s focus on reform over funding sounded similar to what’s on offer from the Conservatives.
“Look, funding’s important, but it’s not always just about spending more money,” he said.
“Steve Barclay’s talking as if he’s just walked in off the street taken over the Department of Health and decided he’s got a reform agenda. They’ve been in power for 13 years. Where is it?”
Mr Streeting went on to admit that it’s “tough for shadow cabinet members like me who have to follow these tight fiscal rules”, amid criticism from some within the party that Labour’s spending plans are not ambitious enough.
But he said he is “100% behind” Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves “when they’re making those tough calls”.
He told Beth Rigby: “One of the reasons why we have lost not just the last two general elections, but the last four general elections, was because people said, can we trust you with the money?
“What you are seeing from Keir and Rachel, and the rest of our team, is that we are going to be careful with the public finances because Liz Truss and the Conservative Party shows exactly what happens when you go on a spending spree without any idea about how you’ll pay for your promises.”
Corbyn years ‘a shipwreck’
Sir Keir and Ms Reeves have been working to show that Labour is fiscally responsible.
The pair have largely avoided making large spending commitments – drawing a firm line under the economic arguments of the Corbyn years.
Last month, Ms Reeves watered down Labour’s flagship £28bn green prosperity plan, blaming rising interest rates and the “damage” the Conservatives have done to the economy.
However, critics saw it as the latest U-turn, with Sir Keir previously backing away from leadership pledges to abolish tuition fees, nationalise public utilities, scrap Universal Credit and increase income tax for the top 5% of earners.
The Labour leader was interrupted on Thursday by climate protesters angry about the climate fund U-turn, while he was trying to give a speech on the party’s plans for overhauling education.
But Mr Streeting dismissed left-wing critics who might feel “betrayed” by Sir Keir backtracking on promises he made to Labour members in order to win the party’s leadership contest in 2020.
“Well, I’m afraid they have to dry their eyes and be glad of the fact that we might finally, after 13 years, get this Conservative government out and have a Labour government able to change our country once again,” he told Sky News.
He also said it was “extraordinary” for former shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, to use a recent BBC interview to accuse Sir Keir Starmer of being “drunk with power”.
Mr Streeting said: “To be honest I thought that was extraordinary. I thought it was extraordinary, because, what Keir has done is take the Labour Party from its worst defeat since 1935, when we weren’t trusted on a whole range of issues, and where people had been bullied and hounded out of the Labour Party, not least through the issue of antisemitism.
“And he has taken that absolute shipwreck that the Labour Party was in 2019, and now made it seaworthy, and I hope on course for a general election victory.”
You can watch the full discussion with Wes Streeting on Beth Rigby Interviews at 9pm tonight on Sky News.
