Wes Streeting has voiced his frustration with the Labour leadership’s “practical, technocratic approach” just weeks after an extraordinary row erupted over accusations he was plotting to replace Sir Keir Starmer.
The health secretary also warned that the government risked presenting itself as just the “maintenance department for the country” and was failing to communicate its achievements.
With Labour trailing Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in the polls, he warned the danger for his party was that “if someone else comes along and says, ‘Well, I’ve got a maintenance company too, and mine’s cheaper,’ why wouldn’t people go, ‘OK, well, we’ll give that ... team a try’?”
Mr Streeting is seen as a frontrunner, alongside the home secretary Shabana Mahmood, amid widespread speculation that Sir Keir could be forced to step down as prime minister.
Mr Streeting was forced to deny speculation that he was plotting to oust the prime minister after a series of briefings against him last month.
In an interview with The New Statesman, he said of the row: “It sort of came from the blue.
“I couldn’t understand what on earth they were thinking. Putting to one side the attempted drive-by on me, I could not understand the political strategy of people who purport to be the prime minister’s allies going out and saying he’s fighting for his job.
“The problem with that kind of practical, technocratic approach is that if someone else comes along and says, ‘Well, I’ve got a maintenance company too, and mine’s cheaper,’ why wouldn’t people go, ‘OK, well, we’ll give that maintenance team a try’?”
The cabinet minister said he is “pretty frustrated” by the party’s predicament.
“I feel like on one hand, since we’ve come into government, we’ve actually done a huge amount that we said we’d do… But that’s not reflected in the polls, and I don’t think it’s even reflected in our storytelling. I think we sell ourselves short.”
Reflecting on Labour’s path to electoral success, Mr Streeting said it must communicate its values “so that people understand the choice that they face at the next general election”.
Framing the next election as a battle between Labour and Reform UK, Mr Streeting said: “We’re certainly not going to win by out-reforming Reform …
“We can take them on and beat them with values-driven Labour arguments. We can reunite the centre and the left, and I think that is the historic responsibility that we have.”
Meanwhile, on Thursday evening, Tony Blair effectively endorsed Ms Mahmood as a future Labour leader, praising her as “brilliant” and “impressive” in a joint public appearance.
The former Labour prime minister hosted a Christmas event for the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) alongside Ms Mahmood, which she used to deliver a passionate personal and political manifesto.
Sir Tony said he was “thrilled” to get the chance to interview her as he praised her “radical” style and the “political philosophy” behind her crackdown on immigration, which he compared to his own approach in power.
Downing Street insisted the government is "united", despite Mr Streeting’s comments.
A No 10 spokesman refused to be drawn on suggestions the cabinet minister was criticising the PM.
He told reporters: "I think what the health secretary is setting out is that the public voted for change.
"That's what they want to see delivered, and again, that is exactly what the Government is focused on doing."
He added: "The government is united behind a manifesto of change."
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