Wes Streeting faces complaint and is accused of ‘uncomradely behaviour’ – after making a light-hearted joke about his former cabinet colleague_Nhy
Wes Streeting was subject to a complaint after making a light-hearted joke about his former colleague Louise Haigh following her resignation.
The Health Secretary was accused of ‘uncomradely behaviour’ after mocking her for her fraud conviction at a Westminster awards dinner last week.
A formal complaint was made to the Labour Party but no action will be taken against Mr Streeting, it is understood.
It was made after the Health Secretary hosted the Spectator magazine’s Parliamentarian of the Year awards last week and gave a humorous speech, Bloomberg reported.
He was speaking after Ms Haigh became the first Cabinet minister to leave her post after it emerged that she had wrongly told police that a work phone was stolen during a mugging in 2013.
Her then-employer, Aviva Plc, is understood to have investigated her after she said company mobile phones had been stolen or lost on repeated occasions.
The complaint was made after Wes Streeting hosted the Spectator magazine’s Parliamentarian of the Year awards last week
Ms Haigh became the first Cabinet minister to leave her post after it emerged that she had wrongly told police that a work phone was stolen during a mugging in 2013
In his speech, Mr Streeting said there had been a ‘spate of bike thefts around Westminster lately. Police urge vigilance,’ as a photograph of Haigh riding a bike appeared on the screen behind him.
‘No, seriously, I love Louise,’ he went on. ‘And I’m going to call her tomorrow on one of her phones.’
The joke went down well in the room, but Bloomberg reported that several Labour government and party figures found it inappropriate.
It said that a Labour member of a local council subsequently filed a complaint with the party accusing Mr Streeting of ‘bullying,’ ‘defamation/libel’ and ‘uncomradely behaviour.’
A spokesman for Mr Streeting declined to comment.
The Labour Party said in a statement that ‘all complaints are thoroughly assessed in line with our rules and procedures.’
But it is understood that the Health Secretary will face no further action.
A source close to Mr Streeting said: ‘Wes considers Lou a friend as well as a colleague and it was clearly a joke.’
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Labour ministers are urged to take action on Dementia – as damning figures show it remains UK’s biggest killer
Dementia deaths are rising ‘year on year’ in a crisis that must not be ignored by ministers, experts say.
New analysis has revealed the disease was the leading cause of death in the UK in 2023, killing more than 75,000 people.
Alzheimer’s Research UK warned it ‘ will only worsen’ unless the Government acts so the condition ‘doesn’t remain a death sentence’.
According to the charity, the upcoming 10-year plan must ensure dementia services can cope with both growing demand and the arrival of new treatments.
It follows a major blow for sufferers ands their families after two breakthrough Alzheimer’s drugs – Lecanemab and Donanemab – were deemed too expensive for NHS patients.
The charity said more must be done to ensure the NHS is ready to scale up pilots of blood tests, saliva tests and eye scans – which are all on the horizon.
Chief executive Hilary Evans-Newton said: ‘By 2040, over 1.4 million people are expected to be living with dementia in the UK, with heartbreaking consequences for countless families and placing ever-increasing pressure on public services and the economy.
Dementia deaths are rising ‘year on year’ in a crisis that must not be ignored by ministers, experts say (stock image)
Alzheimer’s Research UK chief executive Hilary Evans-Newton (pictured) said: ‘By 2040, over 1.4 million people are expected to be living with dementia in the UK, with heartbreaking consequences for countless families and placing ever-increasing pressure on public services and the economy’
‘Dementia already accounts for a quarter of hospital beds for people over 65, and the cost of dementia to the NHS has doubled in the last decade mainly due to often avoidable emergency admissions.‘
The magnitude of damage caused by dementia on people and wider society can’t be ignored by government.’
Some 75,393 people died from dementia in 2023, compared with 74,261 in the previous 12 months and 69,178 in 2021.
This equates to about one in ten deaths overall, ahead of other major killers such as heart disease, thrombosis, embolisms and any individual cancers.
Dementia has been the leading cause of death in women since 2011, with more than 48,000 dying with the condition last year compared with 27,000 men.
The analysis also found that, of the four nations, Northern Ireland had the highest dementia death rate at 11.7 per cent, followed by England (11.6 per cent), Wales (10.6 per cent), and Scotland (10.2 per cent).
Ms Evans-Newton said the long-term plan was a ‘crucial opportunity’ to future-proof NHS dementia services.
New analysis has revealed the disease was the leading cause of death in the UK in 2023, killing more than 75,000 people (stock image)
She said: ‘This data reveals the tragic reality of dementia’s devastating impact across the UK.
‘This crisis will only worsen as our population ages unless Government takes action to address it.’
She added: ‘The 10-Year Health Plan must be used as an opportunity to capitalise on the recent advances in research, futureproof NHS dementia services and ensure dementia doesn’t remain a death sentence for everyone it touches.’
An estimated 944,000 people in the UK live with dementia with the charity predicting this could rise to 1.4 million by 2040.Yet, only around 64 per cent of people in England with dementia have a formal diagnosis, lagging behind the government’s target of 67 per cent.
Nearly half of cases are preventable through lifestyle factors so more must be done to prevent ill health, according to the charity.
Care minister Stephen Kinnock added: ‘Alzheimer’s is a cruel disease which has a terrible impact on so many families, including my own.
‘This data reveals the profound toll dementia has on individuals and their loved ones in the UK.
‘With our Plan for Change this government is committed to getting the NHS back on its feet and creating a society where every person with dementia receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life.
‘We will put Britain at the forefront of transforming treatment for dementia, backing research into the disease and ensuring that new clinically and cost-effective treatments are rolled out in a safe and timely way.’
