Wes Streeting facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable Wes Streeting MP
Official portrait, 2024
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
In office 5 July 2024 – 14 May 2026
Preceded by	Victoria Atkins
Succeeded by	James Murray
Shadow portfolios Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care In office 29 November 2021 – 5 July 2024 Leader Keir Starmer Preceded by Jonathan Ashworth Succeeded by Victoria Atkins Shadow Secretary of State for Child Poverty In office 9 May 2021 – 29 November 2021 Leader Keir Starmer Preceded by Office established Succeeded by Office abolished Shadow Minister for Schools In office 16 October 2020 – 9 May 2021 Leader Keir Starmer Preceded by Margaret Greenwood Succeeded by Peter Kyle Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury In office 9 April 2020 – 16 October 2020 Leader Keir Starmer Preceded by Lyn Brown Succeeded by Abena Oppong-Asare
Member of Parliament for Ilford North
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 May 2015
Preceded by	Lee Scott
Majority	528 (1.1%)
Member of Redbridge London Borough Council for Aldborough Chadwell (2010–2014)
In office 8 July 2010 – 3 May 2018
53rd President of the National Union of Students
In office 1 July 2008 – 10 June 2010
Preceded by	Gemma Tumelty
Succeeded by	Aaron Porter
Personal details
Born	Wesley Paul William Streeting (1983-01-21) 21 January 1983 (age 43) Stepney, London, England
Political party	Labour
Domestic partner	Joe Dancey (2013–present)
Education	Westminster City School
Alma mater	Selwyn College, Cambridge (BA)
Signature

Wesley Paul William Streeting (born 21 January 1983) is a British politician. He served as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from 2024 until his resignation in May 2026. As a member of the Labour Party, he has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Ilford North since 2015.

Streeting studied history at the University of Cambridge. He was president of the Cambridge Students' Union from 2004 to 2005. Later, he led the National Union of Students (NUS) from 2008 to 2010. He also worked for Progress, a group linked to the Labour Party. In 2010, he was elected to Redbridge London Borough Council for Labour. He became the council's deputy leader in May 2014. Streeting was elected to the House of Commons as MP for Ilford North in the 2015 general election. He resigned as the council's deputy leader and stepped down as a councillor in 2018. He was re-elected to Parliament in both the 2017 and 2019 general elections.

After Keir Starmer became Leader of the Labour Party in 2020, Streeting joined the front bench. He served as Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury in April 2020. He became Shadow Minister for Schools in October 2020. He then joined the shadow cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Child Poverty in May 2021. In November 2021, Starmer promoted him to Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. He held this position until July 2024.

Following Labour's win in the 2024 general election, Streeting was appointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. He resigned from this role on May 14, 2026. His resignation followed Labour's results in the 2026 United Kingdom local elections, Scottish Parliament election, and Senedd election. He stated a lack of confidence in Starmer's leadership.

Early Life and Education Journey

Wesley Paul William Streeting was born on 21 January 1983 in Stepney, London, England. His parents, Mark and Corrina, were 17 and 18 years old at the time. He has five brothers, a sister, and a stepsister.

His two grandfathers, both named Bill, were important figures in his childhood. His maternal grandfather, Bill Crowley, often had lively discussions with him about religion and politics. Streeting's maternal grandmother gave birth to his mother at Whittington Hospital in London. His paternal grandfather served in the Second World War in the Royal Navy. He later worked in the merchant navy before becoming a civil engineer. Streeting remembered him as a "traditional working-class Tory".

He grew up living in a council flat. He recalled Conservative Party politicians in the 1990s criticizing single-parent families like his. He found these comments quite personal. He attended Westminster City School, a state school in Victoria, London. He then studied history at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He was the JCR President there and graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2004. Streeting briefly left the Labour Party because he disagreed with its decision to enter the Iraq War.

He was elected President of Cambridge Students' Union for the 2004–05 school year. In this role, he campaigned against the proposed closure of Cambridge University's architecture department. After graduating, Streeting worked part-time for a year at Progress. This was a think tank connected to the Labour Party.

Career Highlights and Public Service

Early Career and Student Leadership (2008–2010)

As president of the NUS, Streeting strongly supported his predecessor's ideas to update the NUS's structure. These changes aimed to modernize the union. During his time as NUS president, he spoke against academic strikes. He believed students needed stability in the job market.

Shortly after becoming NUS President, Streeting joined the government's Youth Citizenship Commission. This commission published its report in June 2009. As president, Streeting supported university tuition fees. This was in line with the UK government's policy at the time.

Wes Streeting in 2009

After his term as NUS President, Streeting worked as a public sector consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). He left this job when he was elected as a councillor. This was because Redbridge Council was a client of PwC. In 2010, Streeting became Head of Policy for Oona King's campaign. She was trying to become the Labour Party's candidate for the 2012 London Mayoral election.

He then served as Chief Executive of the Helena Kennedy Foundation. This charity helps students from further education colleges go to university. He also worked as head of education at Stonewall. This charity supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights. There, he led their Education for All campaign to promote acceptance and prevent bullying in schools.

Council Work and Local Impact (2010–2018)

Streeting with an RMT union banner at a protest against London Underground ticket office closures in March 2015.

In July 2010, Streeting was elected to the Redbridge London Borough Council. He represented the Chadwell area. He had previously run unsuccessfully for the council's Roding ward. He won the Chadwell seat for Labour by 220 votes. In October 2011, he was elected as Deputy Leader of the Labour Group.

Streeting sought re-election in 2014 for the Aldborough ward. In May 2014, Labour gained control of Redbridge Council for the first time. Streeting was appointed Deputy Leader of the council, with Jas Athwal as Leader. The Labour council later made changes to council tax support.

Streeting resigned as Deputy Leader in May 2015. This was shortly after he was elected as a Member of Parliament. He remained a councillor but did not claim his allowance. Streeting did not run for re-election as a councillor in 2018.

Parliamentary Career and National Roles

Serving as a Backbencher (2015–2020)

In the 2015 general election, Streeting was elected as MP for Ilford North. He won with 43.9% of the vote and a majority of 589. After becoming an MP, Streeting was elected Honorary President of the British Youth Council. In April 2016, Streeting criticized the Labour Party. They had refused a £30,000 donation from McDonald's. Labour stated this was due to the company's record on worker's rights. Streeting supported the United Kingdom staying in the European Union. He campaigned for this before the 2016 EU membership referendum. He later supported a People's Vote, asking for a public vote on the Brexit deal.

In the 2017 general election, Streeting was re-elected as MP for Ilford North. His vote share increased to 57.8%, and his majority grew to 9,639. Streeting is a vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Antisemitism. He is also a co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Jews. He supports Labour Friends of Israel. He is also a co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims. He supports Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East. In September 2018, he helped with consultations to create the Working Definition of Islamophobia. In July 2018, Streeting expressed concerns about human rights in the West Bank.

Before the 2019 general election, Streeting said the Labour Party could face poor election results. He believed this was due to the leadership's handling of Brexit and issues of prejudice. In the election, Streeting was re-elected again. His vote share was 50.5%, and his majority was 5,198. After Labour's defeat, Streeting nominated Jess Phillips and Rosena Allin-Khan in the 2020 Labour Party leadership and deputy leadership elections.

Frontbench Roles and Shadow Cabinet (2020–2024)

After Keir Starmer became Leader of the Labour Party, Streeting was appointed Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury. On 16 October 2020, Streeting became Shadow Minister for Schools. This followed a change in government policy. In May 2021, Streeting was appointed to the Shadow Cabinet. He became Shadow Secretary of State for Child Poverty. He was promoted to Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in November 2021.

In February 2022, Streeting was chosen again as the Labour candidate for Ilford North. This was for the 2024 general election. He was ranked sixth in the New Statesman's Left Power List in May 2023. He was described as a prominent member of the shadow cabinet. In the 2024 general election, Streeting kept his Ilford North seat. He won by a narrow margin of 528 votes. He faced a challenge from an independent candidate, Leanne Mohamad. She ran due to concerns about international issues.

Health Secretary and Resignation (2024–2026)

Streeting (left) at a cabinet meeting with David Lammy and Rachel Reeves, 9 July 2024

In July 2024, Streeting was appointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. He became a member of the Privy Council on 10 July 2024. Streeting stated the NHS needed improvement. He promised to resolve junior doctor strikes and reduce waiting times. New negotiations with the Labour government ended the dispute with junior doctors on 17 September.

Streeting received donations to support his work as an MP. In November 2024, Streeting warned NHS leaders. He said consistently failing hospitals would be identified. Managers would be held responsible and could be removed.

In January 2025, a new agreement was announced. It was between the NHS and the independent sector. This aimed to tackle waiting lists and offer patients more choice. That same month, Streeting spoke about the importance of respecting court decisions regarding serious cases.

In November 2025, Streeting criticized strikes by resident doctors in England. He called them "morally reprehensible". He stated the strikes would threaten the future of the NHS. He also said the British Medical Association was acting like a "cartel". Later that month, the Institute for Government criticized Streeting's approach to NHS reform. They called it "chaotic and incoherent".

On 14 May 2026, Streeting resigned as Health Secretary. He stated he no longer had confidence in Starmer's leadership.

Political Views and Priorities

Streeting has suggested working with businesses to improve the economy. In 2020, Streeting proposed taxing capital gains like income. He also suggested replacing inheritance tax with a lifetime gifts tax. He supports increasing corporation tax. He has promoted creating a Good Work Commission. This commission would bring people together to discuss new employment rights.

Although Streeting is seen as being on the right side of the Labour Party, he said in 2022 he didn't like being called a "Blairite". He believed the Labour Party should look to the future, not be stuck in past debates. After his election, Streeting was described as a "long-time critic" of Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn was leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. Streeting accused Corbyn of a "flat-footed and lackadaisical attitude" towards issues of prejudice. Streeting was among the Labour MPs who nominated Owen Smith in the 2016 party leadership election. In 2022, Streeting said he always thought Jeremy Corbyn was unelectable.

Streeting supports devolution. This means giving local authorities more control over public policy. He is a member of the Fabian Society.

European Union and Immigration Stance

MP portrait, 2017

Streeting campaigned for the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union (EU). This was before the 2016 EU membership referendum. In 2018, he stated that a hard Brexit would address concerns about sovereignty and migration. However, he warned it would cause significant economic harm. Streeting appeared in The Sun. He shared an article saying he would be "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime". On immigration, Streeting said in 2018 that the country needs better education and training for its own people. He also noted the reliance on attracting people from overseas. This is especially true with an aging population.

NHS Vision and Reforms

Regarding health, Streeting said in December 2021 that reducing waiting times in the National Health Service (NHS) needed better pay and conditions. He also suggested checking the high salaries of managers and consultants. After a visit to Israel in May 2022, Streeting suggested the UK should use new health technologies. These are common in Israel and could improve patient outcomes. In January 2022, Streeting supported using private providers in the NHS. This was to help cut waiting lists. In June 2023, Streeting outlined three major changes for the NHS. These included moving from hospital care to community services. He also wanted to embrace technology and focus more on preventing illness. In January 2024, he also supported public health reforms. He said Labour would not ignore children becoming less healthy.

Personal Life and Health Journey

MP portrait, 2020

Streeting lives in Redbridge, London. He lives with his partner, Joe Dancey, who is a communications adviser. In October 2023, Dancey was selected as Labour's candidate for Stockton West. However, he was not successful in the 2024 general election. Streeting is a practicing Anglican. He has said his faith is "about compassion". He has been engaged to Dancey since 2013.

In May 2021, Streeting shared that he had been diagnosed with kidney cancer. He stepped back from politics to receive treatment. He learned about the cancer during tests for kidney stones. Because the cancer was found early, his outlook was good. He needed surgery to remove one of his kidneys. On 27 July 2021, Streeting announced he was cancer-free.

Streeting published his memoir, One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry-Up, in June 2023. The book received generally positive reviews. Some described it as both interesting and thoughtful. He clearly stated his ambition to one day become prime minister.

Electoral History

2020s

General election 2024: Ilford North
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Wes Streeting	15,647	33.4	20.7
	Independent	Leanne Mohamad	15,119	32.2	New
	Conservative	Kaz Rizvi	9,619	20.5	16.2
	Reform UK	Alex Wilson	3,621	7.7	5.8
	Green	Rachel Collinson	1,794	3.8	2.4
	Liberal Democrats	Fraser Coppin	1,088	2.3	1.7
Majority			528	1.2	9.2
Turnout			47,008	59.76	9.1
Registered electors			78,657
	Labour hold		Swing

2010s