Wes Streeting appeared to pave the way for a bid to replace Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader and Prime Minister by publishing private WhatsApp messages between himself and Peter Mandelson in order to distance himself from the disgraced ex-ambassador to the United States.
The Health Secretary released the texts after a dramatic day which saw Starmer cling on to his position despite the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, publicly calling for him to quit – and reveal misgivings he had over government policy.
Starmer has been fighting for his job after admitting he was wrong to hire Mandelson as US ambassador despite his known association with Jeffrey Epstein.
After the scandal plunged Starmer’s premiership into crisis, Labour insiders have suggested it would be difficult for Streeting to stand as a potential replacement because he was too close to Mandelson.
‘Nothing to hide’ says Streeting
But Streeting, who has long been tipped as a potential replacement for Starmer, attempted to get ahead of what he called “smear and innuendo” by publishing the WhatsApp messages – from between August 2024 and October 2025 – to show he has “nothing to hide”
“Contrary to what has been widely reported, I was not a close friend of Peter Mandelson,” Streeting said in an article for the Guardian.
Along with an interview with Sky’s Beth Rigby on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast, it will fuel speculation that Streeting is preparing a bid for No 10 – and punctured expectations of a brief truce after the Cabinet rallied round Starmer after Sarwar’s intervention.
Just hours after the Prime Minister appeared to have been given a stay of execution, a briefing war broke out between Streeting’s allies and those loyal to Starmer over whether the Health Secretary was secretly working with Sarwar to undermine the leadership.
Sarwar ‘can’t have been acting alone’
One Government source told The i Paper they thought Sarwar “can’t have been acting alone”.
“It makes sense that it would be Wes [working alongside him]”.
However, allies of Streeting denied that the Health Secretary was acting with Sarwar.
Allies of Sarwar also insisted the Scottish Labour leader was acting alone.
“It’s not about Cabinet politics or Westminster,” they said. “It’s not about staging for rolling news. It’s about a simple fact – you cannot knock a door in Scotland – or Manchester or Wales or Hartlepool or etc etc – and make a political case for the Labour Party because of people’s genuine hatred for the PM.”
In his interview with Sky News, Streeting followed other Cabinet ministers in backing Starmer, telling the Electoral Dysfunction podcast to “give Keir a chance”.
He also confirmed tensions between Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, admitting the men had barely spoken in six months.
Texts reveal disagreements over policy
But his exchanges with Mandelson revealed the Health Secretary has long harboured misgivings about the Government’s performance.
In one exchange, Streeting agreed with Mandelson that the Government’s problems “do not stem from comms [communications] and revealed he feared losing his Ilford North seat at the next election.
Streeting went on: “There isn’t a clear answer to the question: why Labour?”
Mandelson then replied: “The Government doesn’t have an economic philosophy which is then followed through in a programme of policies.”
To which Streeting responded: “No growth strategy at all.”
Some of the text also end with an X, which could suggest a closeness, but is also a sign off used by many people when texting.
Reflecting on his relationship with Mandelson in a Guardian article, Streeting said: “Contrary to what has been widely reported, I was not a close friend of Peter Mandelson, but I am not going to wash my hands of my actual association with him either.
The messages will pose a dilemma for Starmer who cannot afford to lose the public support of Streeting by disciplining him.
‘A weekend of smear and innuendo’
“After a weekend of smear and innuendo that I have something to hide, I have decided to publish my messages with Mandelson.
“Mandelson and I saw each other for dinner on average once a year, in a group setting. He offered advice.
“My partner worked for him 25 years ago and I therefore got to know him better than others of that generation in politics, a generation I have always admired since I joined the Labour party as a 15-year-old in 1998.
“I wasn’t involved in his appointment, but like many other people I thought it was a good move at the time.
“The painful truth I have spent the past few days wrestling with is that, like many others in Westminster, I just didn’t think enough about the appointment or the past that was known.
“Also, like many others in Westminster, I filtered the news of it entirely through the lens of whether it seemed a sensible way to help our relationship with a critical ally at a crucial moment.”
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