Wes Streeting gives up his leadership ambitions and backs Burnham for Prime Minister
Mr Streeting said he was convinced that Mr Burnham “is committed to building an inclusive party that draws on the best of our political traditions"
Former health secretary Wes Streeting has set aside his ambitions for leader of the Labour Party and has endorsed Andy Burnham for the top job.
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Mr Streeting resigned from the cabinet in May following devastating local elections that saw Reform UK sweep the polls.
In his resignation, he told Sir Keir Starmer that he had "lost confidence" in his leadership and that remaining in post would be "dishonourable and unprincipled".
Since then, he has been saying that he will stand in any leadership challenge to Sir Keir.
Mr Streeting, who had been viewed as Andy Burnham’s main rival for the Labour leadership, has now said he would back the new Makerfield MP for the job.
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— Wes Streeting (@wesstreeting) June 22, 2026
In a letter posted on social media, he said he had “spoken at length with Andy in recent days”.
Mr Streeting said he was convinced that Mr Burnham “is committed to building an inclusive party that draws on the best of our political traditions and that he can win the fight of our lives against the force of nationalism”.
Calling for a coronation for Mr Burnham, he said: “We could spend the summer exaggerating small differences, or we can roll up our sleeves and help him to deliver the change our party and our country needs.
“That is the choice that I am making and I hope that everyone else will back Andy too.”
Mr Streeting has been very vocal about the threat that Nigel Farage and Reform pose to the Labour Party.
His resignation letter outlined how he believed that many 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."
He also warned of the "existential threat" posed by "a dangerous English nationalism represented by Nigel Farage and Reform UK".
Shortly after his resignation, Mr Streeting told an audience at the Progress think tank conference that the voters have "issued a warning: that unless we change course, we risk being the handmaidens of Nigel Farage and the breakup of the United Kingdom".