In the past 48 hours Wes Streeting’s camp have denied he is after Sir Keir Starmer’s job, but if the under-fire PM does “eventually implode” there is one thing his Health Secretary should avoid doing. According to Sarah Vine, columnist and former wife of Conservative ex-minister Michael Gove, the whispered Labour “pact” between Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner could be one of the routes Mr Streeting should avoid if he wants to seize power.
Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Ms Vine creating the so-called “Wangela” combination of Mr Streeting and Ms Rayner speaks to a love we all have for a power couple, citing such blockbuster examples as Bennifer (Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez) and Brangelina (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie). But addressing the spectre of Mr Streeting taking over the reins at Number 10, Ms Vine offers the wouldbe political usurper some advice on one thing to avoid.
Ms Vine writes history shows supercouples “don’t always end in happy ever afters”, adding: “Which is why I have my doubts about the latest political portmanteau being touted in the corridors of Westminster: ‘Wangela’, aka Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner.”
She explained: “The notion of the Health Secretary climbing into bed with the disgraced former deputy prime minister in a bid to oust the flailing Prime Minister is a total non-starter – and not just because Mr Streeting is not that type of chap.
“For a start, the two are at opposite ends of the Labour spectrum, Streeting being to the right of the party, Rayner being very much a champion of the hard-Left.”
The columnist went on to say it would be “a particularly bad idea at this stage in his career” for Mr Streeting to enter into an arrangement given he had “everything to lose” unlike Ms Rayner.
Concluding her assessment that Mr Streeting should avoid any pact with the former Deputy Prime Minister, Ms Vine wrote “Starmer will eventually implode”, adding that when this happens “Streeting will be a very serious candidate”.
Responding to reports in the Telegraph that he and Ms Rayner were involved in a pact to supplant Sir Keir, a spokesperson for Mr Streeting said: “This is a silly season story and completely untrue. People appear to be getting carried away and misinterpreting his support for Angela as something other than supporting a good person going through a difficult time.”
A source close to Ms Rayner, when asked to respond to claims the pact would allow her to have “any Cabinet job she chooses”, said: “There is no vacancy and there is no pact.
“Amidst all the stirring and silly games, Angela is focused on representing her constituents and ensuring that this Government delivers. Angela is made of tough stuff and she will not be played like a pawn.”
