'Rebellious Hopeful' Wes Streeting Will Get a Thrashing from Labour Members
YouGov surveyed 706 Labour members about Starmer’s performance as PM and his potential challengers. Wes Streeting in a speech today to the House of Commons on his resignation talked about his "rebellious hope". On the basis of the survey he has no hope.
- Most Labour members think Wes Streeting was wrong to resign as health secretary (57%) and would even rather Starmer beat Streeting in a leadership challenge by 65% to 15%
- Nearly half of members (47%) rank Andy Burnham as their first preference for Labour leadership, compared to 31% for Starmer. 59% rank Burnham above Starmer in their preferences for leader
- 59% of Labour members say they would back Burnham against Starmer, with only 37% saying they would vote to keep the prime minister in place
- While 66% of party members believe Starmer has done a good job as prime minister, just 28% think Labour are likely to win in 2029 if he stays leader, and 61% want him to stand down before the next general election
- 80% of Labour members say the party has done a good job in government
Streeting’s resignation triggered the most immediate threat to Starmer, yet he lacks the support of 81 MPs to issue a direct challenge to the PM.
The Ilford MP finds little support among the membership too, with 57% saying his resignation was the wrong move. Just 25% say that he was right to quit the cabinet. In head-to-heads against Starmer and other potential challengers, YouGov found the former health secretary comes in for a battering.
Whilst centrist Streeting's politics might be more attractive to most voters than those of the other contenders, with the voters that matter for the Labour leadership - party members - he is hopelessly unpopular as they revert to their comfort zone of a more left-wing political agenda.
