Wes Streeting warns Labour must 'change course' with a new leader or lose power to Reform and risk the breakup of the UK in challenge to Starmer

By DAVID WILCOCK, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 14:35, 20 May 2026 | Updated: 14:58, 20 May 2026 Labour must change course in Government or risk losing power to Reform and aiding the break-up of the United Kingdom, ex-minister Wes Streeting said today in a challenge to Sir Keir Starmer. In his first Commons appearance since quitting the Cabinet Mr Streeting warned of an 'existential threat to the UK' as he set out a thinly-veiled pitch to replace Sir Keir.  Mr Streeting, who stepped down as the health and social care secretary last week, praised the improvement of the NHS while he was in charge of it, saying it had been an 'emotional wrench' to leave. He also spoke about reclaiming patriotism from the far-right and his own personal journey including a battle with kidney cancer and his upbringing on 'a council estate in Stepney'. But he made little mention of why he resigned and made only a passing mention to Andy Burnham, the favourite to replace Sir Keir if he wins an upcoming by-election.  He was surrounded by a phalanx of supporters, including Jess Phillips, the former safeguarding minister who also quit last week with a barb at the PM. In his speech, Mr Streeting said there was no 'time to waste in Government treading water'.  'I left the Government because we are in the fight of our lives against nationalism, and it is a fight that we are currently losing,' he said. 'Unless we change course, we risk handing the keys of No 10 to Reform, and I do not want that on our consciences.' Mr Streeting, who stepped down as the health and social care secretary last week, praised the improvement of the NHS while he was in charge of it, saying it had been an 'emotional wrench' to leave In his first Commons appearance since quitting the Cabinet Mr Streeting warned of an 'existential threat to the UK' as he set out a thinly-veiled pitch to replace Sir Keir He also hit out at the election success of the SNP in Scotland and Plaid Cymru, which ended 27 years of Labour rule in Wales in elections earlier this month, accusing them of being an 'existential threat to the future integrity of the United Kingdom'.  But he reserved his main firepower for Reform, claiming it would 'dismantle' the NHS if elected.  Mr Streeting told MPs: 'For too long and too often, patriotism in Britain has been left to the loudest voices and the narrowest arguments, as though love of country belongs to one tribe, one party or one point of view. 'But the Britain I believe in is bigger than that, because patriotism is not about who you exclude, it is about who you stand beside.' Mr Streeting's criticism adds pressure on Sir Keir's premiership, which looks set to be challenged by Mr Burnham if he is successful in his bid to return to Westminster. The Greater Manchester mayor has been confirmed as Labour's candidate for the upcoming Makerfield by-election. Mr Streeting has made clear he intends to stand in any leadership contest. But the Prime Minister has insisted he will not 'walk away' from Downing Street. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.