Wes Streeting ‘so out of his depth he needs armbands’ as he says ‘I can’t’

Wes Streeting was branded “so out of depth he needs water wings” as he explained plans to meet resident doctors for talks ahead of a planned five-day strike in England over pay. The Labour health secretary appeared on BBC Breakfast to discuss the planned action, admitting: “I hope that we can break this impasse. I hope that we can move forward together.

“On pay, I can’t go further than we already have, because the public can see that we have already gone a considerable distance. We do have an independent pay body process and that has delivered real results, as well as the decisions I’ve taken. The recommendations of the pay review body have gone in resident doctors’ favour too.”

Viewers quickly turned to social media to share their views, with one fuming: “He should be wearing water wings as he is so far out of his depth.” Another echoed: “He must have a figure he will go to. What is it?”

A third said: “Sadly I don't think Wes knows what he's doing... showing his cards before the talks even happen. The strike is well going ahead.”

Streeting has warned that it would be a “gift to Nigel Farage” if the strikes do go ahead, telling Labour MPs on Monday: “The BMA’s threats are unnecessary, unreasonable, and unfair. More than that, these strikes would be a gift to Nigel Farage, just as we are beginning to cut waiting lists and get the NHS moving in the right direction.

“What better recruitment agent could there be for his rightwing populist attacks on the very existence of a publicly funded, free at the point of need, universal health service? He is praying that we fail on the NHS.”

He added: “If Labour fail, he will point to that as proof that the NHS has failed, and must now be replaced by an insurance-style system. So we are in the fight for the survival of the NHS, and it is a fight I have no intention of losing.”