As momentum grows for Sir Keir Starmer to step down, some argue that changing prime minister now would make the party appear unserious. But let me indulge for a moment in a shameless squeal at the prospect of Britain’s first openly gay prime minister in Wes Streeting.
I’m gay, but it’s not just his sexuality that resonates. The “lightly cockney-accented” Streeting would be the first PM I’ve truly related to – and sounded like. We both worked for Stonewall when it represented sensible, unifying equality.
When I met Wes Streeting in his office in October 2023, he was flustered. He had a speaking engagement at the Garrick Club that night but lacked a posh enough outfit. A staffer dashed out to buy something suitable. “Bloody nightmare,” he joked. I immediately warmed to him – this is the exact class-based blunder I’d make.
Streeting admits he felt more comfortable in trackie bottoms, arrived at Cambridge University on an access scheme, and wore an Arsenal top to non-uniform school days to ward off bullies. We shared a “desperate to fit in yet refusing to conform” attitude at our Ofsted-failing schools.
At 43, Streeting and I are the same age. The importance of Britain’s first openly gay prime minister cannot be overstated in a country where Section 28 made us feel ashamed. He has become statesmanlike without betraying his roots – growing up on a council estate, his mother born in prison, listening to UK garage.
A relatable PM during a cost-of-living crisis won’t solve the crisis, but it helps end the “us and them” narrative. For many who have felt judged, Streeting would make them feel seen and heard, perhaps for the first time, able to achieve the highest office.
