The veteran broadcaster questioned whether Wes Streeting should focus on fixing the NHS instead of leadership manoeuvring.

Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Image: Getty)

Veteran broadcaster Andrew Neil has sharply criticised Health Secretary Wes Streeting, questioning whether he should focus on his current responsibilities rather than manoeuvring for a potential Labour leadership bid. Speaking on Times Radio, Neil delivered a pointed six-word remark aimed at Streeting: “Shouldn’t he get on with the day job?”

The comment came during a discussion about Labour Party dynamics and the ongoing pressures facing the NHS. Neil warned that while Keir Starmer’s authority within the party may have been weakened, Downing Street remains a “powerful propaganda machine” capable of exploiting internal dissent.

Highlighting the urgent health challenges, Neil stressed the continuing crisis in NHS waiting lists and hospital care.

The waiting list for NHS treatment has only decreased from 7.4 million to 7.2 million (Image: Getty)

He said: “Isn’t he the Health Secretary? Don’t we have a winter NHS crisis? Don’t we have a problem that the waiting lists are still not coming down anything like fast enough?”

According to Neil, the waiting list for NHS treatment has only decreased from 7.4million to 7.2million.

He also emphasised that Streeting’s role comes with significant responsibility.

“The single biggest problem the Government faces is getting its health service back on track, raising its productivity, and making it a much better service than it is,” Neil said.

“Shouldn’t he get on with that rather than all this self-serving, solipsistic candidacy manoeuvring?”

Streeting, a prominent figure in Labour’s Cabinet, has been widely discussed as a potential leadership contender, a position that has fuelled speculation about party manoeuvring ahead of future elections.

Neil warned that attempting to balance leadership ambitions with a demanding Cabinet role could backfire politically, especially given public scrutiny over NHS performance.

The broadcaster’s comments underscore the pressures facing ministers during the winter period, when hospitals are dealing with high patient demand, staffing shortages and a growing backlog of elective procedures.

With waiting lists remaining historically high and services struggling to recover from the pandemic, Neil argued that public and political priorities should centre on patient care rather than internal party manoeuvres.

In November, Mr Streeting denied plotting against the prime minister after leadership claims.

He said briefings to the press against him were “the worst attack on a faithful since Joe Marler was banished in The Traitors final”.

The Ilford North MP added: “Someone has definitely been watching too much Celebrity Traitors. They should swap to Countryfile.”