Wes Streeting is heckled by green protesters as he says it’s time to battle against Reform UK leader Nigel Farage’s ‘miserabilist, declinist vision’_Nhy
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has been heckled by environmental protesters as he gave a speech on Saturday saying it is time to battle against Reform UK leader Nigel Farage‘s ‘miserabilist, declinist vision’.
Two women shouted over him as he used an address to the Fabian Society to call for the centre-left to take on the ‘populist right’.
The Fabian Society, a socialist organisation and think tank, lists its purpose as advancing the principles of social democracy.
One of the demonstrators, who were both swiftly taken out of the conference hall in central London by security, said she was protesting against the continued subsidisation of Drax power station in North Yorkshire.
Zoe Courtney-Bodgener, one of the protesters, said afterwards: ‘Labour promised change and we voted for them because we wanted change and they are continuing to subsidise.
‘We still believe that there’s time for them to make a difference, but they need to end the subsidies now.’
Health Secretary Wes Streeting was speaking at the Fabian Society about fighting back against the ‘populist right’ and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party
Two women shouted over him and called for the end to subsidies to Drax power station in North Yorkshire
The women were swiftly removed from the conference hall in the Guildhall, London by security
One of the women said: ‘We still believe that there’s time for them to make a difference, but they need to end the subsidies now’
Online, climate organisations Climate Resistance and Axe Drax claimed responsibility for the disruption.
In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, a spokesperson for Axe Drax said: ‘Wes Streeting and Labour cannot talk seriously about protecting health whilst continuing to enable polluters to profit massively from poisoning communities.
‘It’s high time this government committed to ending subsidies for Drax, Britain’s dirtiest power station.’
A spokesperson for Climate Resistance added: ‘Climate Resistance and Axe Drax just disrupted Wes Streeting at the Fabian Society conference!
‘We confronted him about government subsidies for Drax, the world’s largest tree-burner that pollutes the air in the UK and abroad. The climate crisis IS a health crisis.’
After the hecklers were removed, Wes Streeting said he was surprised there ‘were only two’
In his keynote address Mr Streeting accused Nigel Farage (pictured) of offering a ‘miserablist, declinist’ vision for Britain
After his speech, Mr Streeting joked: ‘I can’t believe there were only two.’
In his keynote address Mr Streeting accused Mr Farage of offering a ‘miserablist, declinist’ vision for Britain.
‘The populist right are coming for us and we need to be serious about beating them,’ he said.
‘The crux of Farage’s argument is this: what was possible in the 20th century isn’t possible in the 21st. It’s a miserablist, declinist vision for Britain’s future.
‘People shouldn’t have to choose between a health service that treats them on time and an NHS free at point of use.
‘That’s a poverty of ambition for our country and Labour utterly rejects it.’
