UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting resigns, asks PM Starmer to quit

UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting has resigned from the British government, saying he no longer has confidence in Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership. In a sharply worded resignation letter, Streeting said remaining in office after losing faith in the Prime Minister would have been “dishonourable and unprincipled”. His departure comes amid growing political pressure on the Labour government following recent election setbacks across England, Scotland and Wales. Despite defending his record at the Department of Health and Social Care, Streeting warned that the government lacked direction and vision at a crucial moment for Britain. In his resignation letter, Streeting said Labour’s recent election losses reflected wider public dissatisfaction with the government. He argued that voters no longer understood what the party stood for, pointing to controversial policy decisions and political messaging.

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— Wes Streeting (@wesstreeting) May 14, 2026

He also criticised what he described as a heavy-handed response towards dissenting voices within the party and called for a broader debate about Labour’s future leadership.Streeting said serving as Health Secretary had been “the greatest joy” of his life, but added that the scale of political and economic challenges facing Britain required stronger leadership and a clearer long-term vision from the government.