Wes Streeting has been accused of being on leadership manoeuvres. Broadcaster Andrew Neil tore into Wes Streeting for his alleged “manoeuvring” as questions over Keir Starmer’s premiership continue to circle. The health secretary caused a stir on Sunday when, in a long interview with The Observer, he said he was “diplomatically ducking” queries about one day running to be prime minister. However, he also strayed beyond his NHS brief and supporting the idea of entering a customs union with the EU and of looking into Australia’s social media ban for under 16s – two policies Starmer has already ruled out. Speaking on Times Radio, Neil suggested Streeting’s outspoken approach could “backfire”. “Although I think Starmer’s authority has been shot to hell,  Downing Street still is a powerful propaganda machine and it could well unleash it on him.” Neil said many critics will also be asking: “Isn’t he the health secretary? Don’t we have a winter NHS crisis? Don’t we have a problem that the waiting lists still are not coming down anywhere near fast enough?” He added: “Shouldn’t he get on with the day job? Hasn’t he been tasked with the single biggest problem the government faces, of getting the health service back on track and raising its productivity, and making it a much better service than it is, rather than all of this self-serving, solipsistic, candidacy manoeuvring.” “Shouldn’t he get on with the day job?” @AfNeil says Wes Streeting should focus on the NHS rather than “this self-serving, solipsistic candidacy maneuvering.” @RosieWright99 | @Guto_Harri pic.twitter.com/WHGOj68qwX — Times Radio (@TimesRadio) December 22, 2025 A backbench Labour MP, Graham Stringer, also told Times Radio the health secretary was being “opportunistic” right now by praising the idea of a customs union with the EU. He said: “I think it’s a very complicated issue and it’s just Wes being opportunistic knowing that, I think it’s nearly 30 percent, of the Labour Party membership is in London and most of those people seem to be in favour of rejoining the EU. “So it’s an early shot in what might be a leadership election after the May local elections.” When asked if there should be a leadership challenge, Stringer said that was a “really difficult question”. He said: “I think we’re in a situation where if we do as badly as predicted in the local elections, then it will be clear that Keir has not succeeded in the way I would want him to succeed. “The question about whether it should be challenged is whether we’re in a situation where almost every move the party makes would make things worse. The lesson we need to learn from the Conservatives, they have so many changes of leader, it made them look ridiculous.” Stringer added that any challenger would need a “really deep think” by those considering a challenge, particularly within the Parliamentary Labour Party. He said: “Certainly if we lose very badly, those discussions will have to be had because I think Keir will have had 18 months really to put the show on the road and that would be a clear indication that the show very definitely wasn’t on the road.” Related... Wes Streeting 'Diplomatically Ducks' Questions Over Replacing Keir Starmer No.10 Dismisses Wes Streeting's Thinly-Veiled Attack Against 'Technocratic' Starmer Starmer Would Lose Leadership Contest Against Streeting, Burnham, Rayner And Miliband