Enda Brady: UK correspondent on Wes Streeting reportedly challenging Starmer for leadership

There's ongoing speculation about Prime Minister Keir Starmer's leadership future, and it's looking more likely challengers could appear.

Health Minister Wes Streeting's allies have claimed he's looking to launch a contest for Starmer's job.

UK correspondent Enda Brady explained further.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
In the Brady UK correspondence with us Eloinda Helloa, how
are you? I'm very well, thank you. So was he
going to quit today and launch the challenges? E?

Speaker 2 (00:09):
So this is the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting. Yes, that
appears to be what's happening. This is a huge day.
So Keer Starmer had a day's grace yesterday with no
attacks or challenges, and he can thank King Charles for
that state opening of our parliament. And I think the
Palace made it very clear that they didn't want any
rancor or infighting or any leadership challenges to be detracting

(00:32):
from the King being in parliament. So there was a
period of grace and it was lovely and quiet yesterday
and everyone in labor got on with each other. The
gloves were off today. The word is that Wes Streeting
this morning, in a couple of hours time, will resign
as Health Secretary and he will do so to formally
challenge Ker Starmer for the leader of the party and
the country.

Speaker 1 (00:52):
Okay, so what has this thing got to do with
Angela Raina being clear of wrongdoing other hohotech's affairs.

Speaker 2 (00:59):
Well, the timing of this is extraordinary. This has been
going on from months and months and months. She lost
her job. She was Deputy Prime Minister. She was also
in charge of housing and it was in the newspapers.
Then it was discovered that she hadn't paid the correct
amount of tax on a property purchase down in Hove
on the South coast, to the tune of about eighty
thousand dollars. Now, what's happened in the last hour We

(01:22):
learn that the taxman has formally cleared her of any wrongdoing.
She has now paid that money back and she has
just given the first interview I've seen from her. I
can't remember the last time I saw her on TV talking.
She's now given an interview saying that the country needs
change and that she wants to be part of the conversation.
So she couldn't have said it more clearer. She's now

(01:44):
been cleared by the taxman, and I think she is
going to run against Starmer as well.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
Okay, that explains it. And then what about I mean,
so does she represent the lift of the Paddy because
the Lift of the Paddy was scrabbling around trying to
find somebody to go up against Wives streeting right.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
Yes she does, and the unions love her. She's from
the North of England. She has an extraordinary life story.
She was a teenage single mum. She has battled the
odds all her life. She rose all the way to
Downing Street, you know, Deputy Prime Minister, minister in cabinet.
She is a very good communicator and she's very popular
in the North of England. My only question would be

(02:20):
if she becomes prime minister, would she really carry the
South of England? You know, places that labor need to
win seats Essex, Kent, the Southwest Hampshire. You know, will
she punch through in those kind of places. She's very
popular on the left of the party, less so in
the South of England.

Speaker 1 (02:37):
Okay, So I mean I still find it remarkable in
all of these days on that Kiyostama has actually put
up this fight, because it seemed to me such an
utterly pointless thing to do. He is not going to win,
and surely the best thing for him to do is
just to bow out with dignity.

Speaker 2 (02:54):
Oh, he's going to fight, and I think he will
take inspiration from John Major. There was a challenge against
John Major once and Major, you know, a lot of
people felt he didn't have the punches. He didn't have
the guts and the gumption, and John Major saw down
his challengers. And I think Keir Starmer is a very
stubborn man. I think he's fundamentally a decent man. His

(03:14):
problem is he's not a politician, but he is very stubborn,
as he pointed out repeatedly in the last forty eight hours.
You win an election, you win five years and he
wants to serve at least five years.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
Very interesting. Hey, quickly tell me about this donation to
Nigel Farage. How much trouble is he in on us?

Speaker 2 (03:32):
Well, this is a very big deal now because he
has been referred to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner to look
at this. What we've learned, and we've only learned this
because a journalist got digging, is that before he was elected,
ten million dollars of a donation from a crypto multi
millionaire who's British living in Thailand, and this was a

(03:53):
gift to Nigel Farage for his security, personal security. Now,
he did not declare this, and for AJ just saying
that he's done nothing wrong, he's partly reformer saying that
he's broken no law. What's going to the Parliamentary Standards
Commissioner and if he finds that Farage has broken the
parliamentary rules, he could be suspended from parliament.

Speaker 1 (04:14):
Wewzers. Okay, Inda, thank you so much for running us through,
and we'll talk to you again and we'll see whether
Ki is still the Prime Minister when we have a check.
That's in to Brady UK corresponding.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
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