Wes Streeting says Starmer WON'T sack him in 'revenge reshuffle' as he puts on show of loyalty to 'steely' PM despite frenzied Labour leadership plotting
Wes Streeting has insisted Keir Starmer will not sack him despite mounting rumours of a 'revenge' reshuffle.
The Health Secretary shrugged off a backlash over his apparent leadership manoeuvring, heaping praise on the 'steely' PM.
Speculation has been swirling at Westminster that Sir Keir will shake up his top team soon, after barely surviving a coup a fortnight ago.
Mr Streeting is seen as a top target, having clashed repeatedly with Downing Street aides who accused him of being at the centre of plotting.
The premier has been weakened by persistently dire polls and the Mandelson scandal, but allies hope a resilient showing in the Gorton & Denton by-election and a slight economic uptick could help him claw back some authority.
Sir Keir endured 24 hours of almost complete silence from the Cabinet earlier this month as his fate hung in the balance, with ministers only rallying round when the Scottish Labour leader threatened to deliver the coup de grace.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting shrugged off a backlash over his apparent leadership manoeuvring, heaping praise on the 'steely' PM
He was saved by the fact that potential rivals including Mr Streeting, Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham were not yet in a position to challenge.
However, the local elections in May are seen as another moment of high peril.
In an interview on LBC last night, Mr Streeting said Sir Keir had 'core of steel'.
'What I've seen from him is someone who is in it for the right reasons, really believes in public service, doesn't want to let the country down,' he said.
Mr Streeting said reports that he is for the chop in a reshuffle were 'water off a duck's back' and he was focused on his job.
Pressed if he was sure Sir Keir did not want him gone, Mr Streeting replied: 'Yes, I am, actually. And I'm proud to work for Keir Starmer. I'm proud of the progress we're making, but my goodness, the job is far from done and I love this job.'
He talked up his commitment to running the NHS, saying the service 'saved my life' when he was diagnosed with kidney cancer a few years ago.
'It's funny, they've not being an easy few weeks, but honestly, in terms of the challenges I've had over the years, whether going through cancer and coming out the other side, or the experiences I had growing up, which I've written about and spoken about, no, not really, compared to those things,' he said.
Mr Streeting added: 'The Prime Minister has given me a very important job to do now and it is one that I relish and is one that I enjoy.
'I'm grateful to him for giving me this opportunity to serve our country in this way, and for as long as he wants me, I will carry on doing the job, and as long as I'm doing that, I'm supporting him, supporting the government, and supporting the whole team to deliver the change that we were asked to do by the voters.'
