3 min readUpdated: May 15, 2026 04:50 PM IST
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday wrote back to Wes Streeting, who resigned as health minister on Tuesday, saying he was sorry that he had stepped down. He said, “We must deliver on… our promise to turn the page on the chaos that was roundly rejected by the British people at the last general election”.
He also thanked him for his years of work in helping the Labour Party return to government and for his efforts in leading the health department.
With Streeting as health secretary, ‘NHS returned to its feet’, says Starmer
Starmer said when the Labour Party came to power, in July 2024, the National Health Service (NHS) was on its knees. He said that nearly two years later, during Streeting’s service as health secretary, there had been clear improvements. Starmer said hospital waiting lists had fallen, patients were getting appointments more quickly, ambulances were arriving sooner and overall care was improving. Starmer described all these developments as proof that the NHS was ‘back on its feet’.
In his letter to Streeting, Starmer said several major reforms were led by Streeting, including the 10-year health plan, social care reform, the Casey Commission, and a fair pay agreement for care workers.
Starmer further referred to other health initiatives, including a National Cancer Plan, an HIV action plan, a review into maternity and neonatal care, and a strategy for the life sciences sector. He said the Tobacco and Vapes Act would help save lives and also outlined proposed changes to the Mental Health Act.
He expressed that these achievements showed ‘the difference a Labour Party’s government makes’ and said this was the kind of change the party had promised to deliver.
Starmer refers to political opponents as ‘a serious threat’
Referring to last week’s local election results, Starmer acknowledged that many in the party had seen close colleagues lose their seats. He said that the Labour Party understood that its political opponents remained ‘a serious threat to the values the party stands for and to the country’s future’.
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He added that the Labour Party now faces a ‘battle for the soul of our nation’ and stressed that the government must deliver on all its promises, including bringing stability after what he described as the ‘chaos’ rejected by voters at the last general election.
Ending his letter, Starmer said he was sorry Streeting would no longer be at the Cabinet table. However, he expressed confidence that he would continue to play an important role in the Labour Party in the years ahead.
Wes Streeting resigned as UK health secretary on Thursday. He said the decision comes due to a loss of confidence in the British Prime Minister. In a letter, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that despite the Prime Minister’s ‘courage and statesmanship, where we need vision, we have a vacuum’.
