Streeting urges closer trading ties with Europe to grow UK economy | Wes Streeting
Wes Streeting said a deeper trading relationship with the EU would be the best way to grow the UK economy, which has a “disturbing” level of taxes.
The health minister said it would not be possible for any partnership with the EU to “return to freedom of movement”, but his comments appeared to leave the door open to the idea of a customs union.
His remarks about the EU appear to go further than the government’s stance, which has ruled out a customs union as it seeks deeper trade relations with Brussels. Some in the cabinet want No 10 to go further in its ambitions to improve the UK economy.
Streeting talks about the EU, the economy and his own goals In a wide-ranging interview with the ObserverWhile emphasizing that Keir Starmer is not after his job.
He said a deeper economic partnership with Europe would be the best way to boost growth and suggested he wanted to move beyond the current reset with the EU, which he described as a “good start”.
“We took a huge economic blow by leaving the European Union. I’m really disturbed by the level of taxation in this country. We’re asking a lot of individual taxpayers, we’re asking a lot of businesses. We have a level of indebtedness that we need to take very seriously,” he said. “The best way to further grow our economy is to establish a deeper trade relationship with the EU.
“The reason why leaving the EU affects us so much as a country is because of the enormous economic benefits that the single market and customs union bring. This is a country and a government that wants a closer trading relationship with Europe.”
“The problem is that any economic partnership we have cannot lead to a return to freedom of movement.”
Streeting told his briefing that the NHS was “coping” with the junior doctors’ strikes but he was concerned about the strike picking up as it entered its final day.
The health secretary told the Observer that the NHS had managed to weather five days of action by British Medical Association doctors in England but was concerned about the subsequent period when the health service struggled with flu cases.
Streeting took a tough stance against the strikes. He offered the junior doctors a deal that included more training places but no extra money, and the offer was rejected.
His position was criticized by Unison’s new general secretary, Andrea Egan, as an “unacceptable” approach to striking workers.
Streeting said: “I think the NHS is coping with it. The period that concerns me more is the post-strike period when we need to try to improve the service. This period currently coincides with the NHS’s busiest time of the year.”
“I don’t think doctors are selfish and don’t care about nurses and other healthcare workers, but the BMA’s attitude can be quite harsh and uncompromising.”
Streeting, who is considered one of the top candidates to become the next Labor leader, described recent press briefings by Starmer’s allies a few weeks ago as a “strange transition” – amid speculation he was preparing to replace the prime minister – and questioned why anyone would want the top job.
But careful not to ostracize himself, he said: “I’m diplomatically dodging the question to avoid any further ridiculous soap operas we’ve had over the last few months.” Asked whether Britain would be ready to vote for a gay prime minister, he replied: “Yes, but I want to make it clear that this is not a sales pitch or a job application. The Prime Minister has my absolute support.”
Labor leader Anna Turley was under pressure on Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips over Starmer’s low approval ratings, and she insisted he would still be prime minister next Christmas. He said it was “nonsense” that he might have to resign if local election results were bad for Labor in May and that the whole team was “united behind him”.
Streeting said he and former deputy chancellor Angela Rayner had joked about rumors that they had agreed to make a joint bid in the event of a vacancy, and insisted it bore no resemblance to reality.
“The last time I spoke to Angela was when I walked up to her in the voting lobby and said, ‘I hear you’re forming a new cabinet, I’ve always liked the idea of a State Department, so include me,’ and she turned around and replied in a flash: ‘Oh no, you’re behind the times, didn’t you hear me say I’m a celebrity?'” he says. “We laughed so hard about it because there is so much idle gossip and chatter.”
He also hinted that he had a different stance than some others in the cabinet, including the prime minister, on the issue of social media bans on under-16s.
“We need to think much more radically about how we support young people to navigate this new online world,” he said. “[It] It has become a place of bullying, intimidation, sometimes misogyny, even radicalization. The problem with social media is that it is increasingly antisocial media. “So I think what Australia is doing is interesting and we should keep a close eye on the results and see if this is something we should consider doing here.”
