Health Secretary Wes Streeting has launched his strongest attack yet on Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, accusing him of promoting a “miserabilist, declinist” vision for Britain.
Speaking at the Fabian Society on Saturday, Streeting warned about the threat from the “populist right”, saying they “are coming for us and we need to be serious about beating them”.
The senior Labour figure delivered his critique at the left-leaning organisation’s event in central London’s Guildhall.
“The crux of Farage’s argument is this: what was possible in the 20th Century isn’t possible in the 21st,” Streeting told his audience.
Farage swiftly responded to the accusations, claiming it was Labour who had the miserable vision and that Reform represented the “optimistic alternative”.
Streeting accused Farage of not believing in a universal health service “free at the point of use” and having a “poverty of ambition” for the UK that Labour “utterly rejects”.
Wes Streeting was speaking at an event for Labour’s Fabian Society
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The Health Secretary highlighted encounters with voters on the campaign trail who had faced long waits for ambulances and operations.
Some of these people “had been let down by the NHS” and were now considering voting for Reform due to “the most appalling experiences”, he said.
Farage took to social media to rebut the accusations, stating Streeting “is so scared of Reform that he has now resorted to lying about our NHS plans”.
Farage insisted: “Let me be clear, the NHS will always be free at the point of delivery under a Reform government.”
Nigel Farage blasted Wes Streeting for having “resorted to lying about our NHS plans”
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Wes Streeting accused Farage of not believing in a universal health service “free at the point of use”
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While Farage has previously suggested an insurance-based system, Reform’s current policy documents maintain healthcare should remain free at the point of delivery.
Streeting’s speech was interrupted shortly after it began when a climate protester stood on her chair and began heckling him. “When we voted for Labour, we voted for change,” the demonstrator shouted, criticising the government’s subsidies for the Drax power station.
The Health Secretary continued speaking as the protester was escorted from the hall.
A second woman then stood up and began shouting, and was also led out of the venue.
Responding to the disruptions, Streeting departed from his prepared remarks, stating he was “in politics to make real change, not shout from the sidelines”, drawing applause from the audience.
Streeting’s speech was interrupted shortly after it began when a climate protester stood on her chair and began heckling him
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He later made light of the situation, expressing surprise that there weren’t more protesters present.
Reform UK has been gaining momentum in recent weeks, making inroads with both Conservative and Labour voters according to opinion polls.
Farage has declared his ultimate ambition is to win the next general election, building on his party’s recent surge in popularity.
A recent YouGov poll measuring prime ministerial preferences showed Nigel Farage receiving similar levels of support to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
While Reform UK has traditionally been seen as primarily threatening Conservative support, its appeal appears to be broadening.
The party’s growing influence has prompted senior Labour figures like Streeting to directly confront what they view as a serious electoral challenge.