What's New

Wes Streeting has moved from announcing his leadership candidacy to actually laying out policy — and some of it directly torches decisions made by his own government just months ago.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Sunday Times published May 30, 2026, the former Health Secretary called for targeted cuts to employers' National Insurance and the issuing of new North Sea oil and gas drilling licences. Both positions represent a direct reversal of Labour government policy under Sir Keir Starmer.

The NI Reversal

Chancellor Rachel Reeves's first budget — Labour's signature economic move after winning the 2024 election — hiked employer NI from 13.8% to 15% on each employee's salary. The whole justification was funding public services.

Now one of the cabinet members who sat in that government is saying it was a mistake.

Streeting told the Sunday Times: "I think we should be thinking actively about how to incentivise, whether that's through targeted reduction in employers' national insurance or other kinds of recruitment and retention incentives."

He framed it around youth unemployment — pointing to the Alan Milburn review published this week on the rising number of young people not in education, employment, or training (NEETs). Walking back the flagship tax hike from your own government's first budget is a significant policy reversal. It amounts to a direct admission the policy is hurting hiring.

North Sea: Tax Revenue, Not Energy Security

On oil and gas, Streeting's argument centers on tax implications. He is not saying new North Sea drilling would lower energy bills. He said explicitly it would generate additional tax revenue for the government.

His exact words, according to Perspective Media: "But there's sometimes a danger of Britain wanting to lead the world. We cut off our own nose to spite our face without contributing to the greater whole."

That's a direct shot at the current government's energy stance — and at the climate activist faction of Labour that pushed for an aggressive North Sea ban. The reasoning is practical and revenue-focused, with an honest acknowledgment of the tradeoff involved.

Streeting vs. Blair: More Complicated Than It Looks

Streeting's positions echo a recent essay by former Prime Minister Tony Blair criticizing Starmer's government for lacking a "coherent plan" — according to reporting by the Oxford Mail and Perspective Media.

But Streeting is not simply riding Blair's coattails. He said he would give Blair "a flea in his ear" over the AI section of that essay, arguing Blair "did himself a disservice proposing a prescription that was absent of any values."

Streeting's critique of Blair is pointed: "I feel the Tony Blair of 1997, or the Tony Blair of 2007 for that matter, would have been making an argument that said, okay, big revolution coming, how do we apply traditional values in a modern setting?"

That's a substantive disagreement about method, not just positioning. Streeting wants the Blair economic pragmatism without what he sees as the valueless technocratic framing.

What He Said About His Own Party

Streeting told the Sunday Times that Labour came to power "underprepared" and "lacking any sort of intellectual curiosity."

He was in that cabinet. He was part of that government. That quote reveals either real self-awareness or extraordinary political cynicism — possibly both.

The Burnham Factor

Streeting also endorsed rival candidate Andy Burnham's push for more devolution and greater state intervention in markets, calling it "a good pro-fairness thing to do," according to Perspective Media. That's a notable concession to his likely main competitor. Whether it's genuine agreement or a calculated attempt to neutralize Burnham on the left flank remains unclear.

What Mainstream Coverage Is Missing

Most of the reporting treats this as a normal leadership campaign rollout. A sitting former cabinet minister is publicly calling his government's most significant economic policy a mistake — the NI hike that cost employers billions and that businesses blamed for a hiring slowdown — less than two years after it passed.

The BBC reported the NI figures accurately but soft-pedaled what it signifies: a leadership candidate running against his own government's record.

What It Means

If Streeting wins the Labour leadership, the NI hike is on the table for reversal. North Sea licensing comes back. That reshapes UK energy and employment policy in ways that would matter to businesses trying to hire people and an economy starved of tax revenue.

If he loses, these positions still force the debate into territory Labour would rather avoid — namely, whether their own flagship budget made it harder to hire workers.

Wes Streeting just made the Labour leadership race about substantive policy disagreements. That warrants attention.