"Wes Streeting has resigned from government, in a move that could pave the way for a leadership contest. Suspicions have long been swirling that Streeting has his eyes on the Labour party top spot, but who is the man gunning to be or to help choose the next prime minister?"
"Streeting grew up on a council estate in Stepney, east London, to working-class teenage parents. His maternal grandparents served time in prison, embroiled in armed robbery; his grandfather did time with the Kray twins. Streeting's paternal grandfather, a navy veteran, was an influential figure throughout his upbringing. He was the grandad I was closest to, Streeting told the Financial Times in 2022."
"He attended Westminster City school where, in 1997, as a 14-year-old, he stood unsuccessfully as the Labour candidate in the mock election. From as early as his student days, Streeting displayed a keen desire for organisational leadership. He joined the Labour party as soon as he could, at the age of 15. While studying history at the University of Cambridge, Streeting was elected president of the student union."
"During this time, he came out as gay, something he said he struggled to reconcile with his Anglican Christian faith. He was later elected as the president of the National Union of Students, reported by the Guardian at the time as a move that will lend weight to the fight to modernise the union. Streeting's political career began when he was elected as a councillor for the Chadwell ward on Redbridge London borough council in 2010."
Wes Streeting resigned from government, a move seen as potentially enabling a Labour leadership contest. Long-running speculation links him to ambitions for the Labour top job. His background includes growing up on a council estate in east London with working-class parents, and family history involving imprisonment. He was closest to a paternal grandfather who was described as a traditional working-class Conservative. Streeting attended Westminster City School and stood unsuccessfully as a Labour candidate in a mock election at age 14. He joined Labour at 15, studied history at Cambridge, and led student bodies, coming out as gay while reconciling it with Anglican Christian faith. He entered local politics in 2010, became deputy leader of Redbridge Council in 2014, and was elected MP for Ilford North in 2015.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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