This may be news to younger readers, but – once upon a time in British politics, we had this thing we called “hope”. A recession, we imagined in our innocence, would be followed by a boom. New technology would make the world better, not worse. I’m shaking my head, I know. Now that sounds so stupid. Hope can only disappoint you. Hope was a mistake.
Please keep that in mind when I tell you that Wes Streeting is spinning left.
The clearest manifestation of this latest twist in the narrative came during an appearance in Nick Robinson’s film Political Thought podcastwhen the former health secretary revealed his plans for a “wealth tax that works”. Equating capital gains tax to income tax, Streeting argued, would address the injustices of taxing labor more than capital and raise £12 billion in revenue at the same time. This is not a wealth tax in the sense proposed by the Green Party, which would simply mean cutting off the assets of the ultra-rich. But it would close a morally repugnant loophole that allows the wealthy to pay a lower effective tax rate than their staff.
There’s more. Since leaving as secretary of health – he BEN to have the votes to challenge Keir Starmer, he just doesn’t want to now, for several reasons – Streeting has also described Brexit as a “disastrous mistake” and said the UK must one day rejoin the European Union. An appeal to the liberals, an appeal to the left – anyone would think there was a leadership race going on.
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Can Wes really win over the parts of his party who are a bit uneasy about the whole “Nigel’s right, vote Labor to stop him” thing? The idea that being on the right of the Labor Party just means being on the right has always been a bit simplistic. And one of the most controversial policies Streeting put before the government involved replacing the partnership model of general practice with salaried GPs – in effect, a nationalisation.
Still, it would take incredible optimism for anyone even slightly on the left to accept Wes as their savior. His position in the kaleidoscope of Labor Party factions has meant close ties to Peter Mandelson, which, it is just possible, could turn out to be a problem. Small wealth can be equally problematic DonATionS has been accepted by private healthcare firms. His tenure was also, shall we say, controversial among trans rights groups.
More importantly, there’s a leadership race – which Wes definitely has the backing to enter, by the way – and he knows that even having a hope of winning it will require showing a bit of his previously hidden leg on the left. Maybe Wes Streeting really is committed to his property tax working. But it should be easier to believe if you don’t remember how Keir Starmer got the top job in 2020.
As Streeting spins left, Andy Burnham is spinning right. (The current prime minister, who still maintains he can save his job, seems tragically unable to move at all.) Facing a historically disengaged and particularly reform-curious electorate at Makerfield, Burnham has emphasized the “not changing Brexit anytime soon” part of his agenda over “even though he was obviously a cheater”. (His and Streeting’s positions aren’t actually that far apart – both are variants of “This is an obvious disaster that I have no current plans to address” – but where’s the fun in that?)
More worryingly, Guardian reported anonymously – and thus denied – SOuRCES saying he would support Shabana Mahmood’s immigration changes. These include extending the amount of time people have to wait before they get settled status – to, in some cases, frankly insane 20 years – plus finally showing those bastard refugees what for. If you had dared to hope that Andy Burnham might represent a definitive end to Labour’s drift towards Farage-ism, then now you know better.
However, he is running one of the best campaigns in the Makerfield by-election. The Green Party withdrew its candidate, Chris Kennedy, within hours; THE Times continued to REPORT that he had circulated social media posts describing the attacks on ambulances run by a Jewish charity as a “false flag”. Full marks to the party for acting quickly, but we should probably dock a few points for trying to claim that Kennedy withdrew for “personal and family reasons” instead of immediately admitting what had happened.
Then there’s the horrific social media story of reform candidate Robert Kenyon discovered from anti-racism campaigners Hope Not Hate: sexism, homophobia, creepy comments about Carol Vorderman (classic), plus apparent support for a Covid lockdown conspiracy theory. Another anti-fascist campaign, Searchlight, meanwhile claims it was once Facebook friends with three far-right organizers. Reform says being friends on Facebook “does not constitute an endorsement of his views” and declined to investigate the posts. This man may soon become an MP.
The main thing that connects these stories is that each of them makes a compelling case for deception and desperation. Whatever happens in Makerfield next month, or in the Labor Party after that, it is extremely difficult to see a path to the sunlit highlands. Things can only get better. In British politics in 2026, hope is a mistake. But I’ll see this for Streeting – it’s a ground-breaking politician who disappoints at first.
(Further reading: Should the Green Party stay in Makerfield?)
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