His gran shared a cell with Christine Keeler, his armed robber granddad hung out with the Krays and his gymslip mum raised him in a council flat to the sound of the Bow bells: Thought Rayner was working class? Labour's 'next leader' is Britain's JD V

Published: 17:02, 16 May 2026 | Updated: 17:02, 16 May 2026 We all know Sir Keir Starmer is the son of a toolmaker and that Angela Rayner left school at 16 while pregnant and with no qualifications. But when it comes to the working-class credentials of potential Labour Prime Ministers, few could, perhaps surprisingly, match those of former Health Secretary Wes Streeting. As a young child growing up in a council flat with his teenaged soon to be single mother in London's inner city East End, he regularly visited his grandfather - a serial armed robber - in prison. His grandmother, Libby, who was also caught up in the criminal world, shared a cell with Christine Keeler and gave birth to Streeting's mother Corrina while she was in jail. The family were also said to be associated with the notorious Kray twins. So humble were Streeting's origins that he even invites comparison to US Vice President JD Vance who came to prominence after publishing a shocking memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, detailing his chaotic and poverty-stricken childhood. But despite their inauspicious starts, Streeting's parents, Corrina, 62, and Mark, 61, went on to build a better future for themselves, and their children, through hard graft - albeit separately. But they remain a world away from politics. If anyone has ever doubted Wes Streeting's working class credentials, they only need to look at the gritty council flat in London's east end where he was raised The man who would grow up to be Health Secretary and go to Cambridge University started life as the son of a single mother Corrina (pictured) who gave birth to him when she was 18 Streeting's father Mark - a West Ham fan - was just 17 when his son was born in Stepney, East London in January 1983. Mark and Corrina separated but Mark has remained close to Streeting Streeting's father is a Labour supporter and the politician features on his father's social media At the weekend - when Starmer's government began to implode in the wake of a catastrophic collapse in the local elections - his car salesman father had other more pressing matters on his mind. And that was West Ham's match against Arsenal. Mr Streeting senior lives less than 10 minutes from West Ham's training ground in a modest three bedroomed terraced house in Hornchurch, Essex which he is thought to have bought for £233,000 in 2011. He lives quietly there with his second wife Joe-anne who now works at a local doctors' surgery following a long stint as an admin manager for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Mark rarely delves into the murky world of politics on his social media accounts although he has stated that he is not a Labour supporter and that he wouldn't want his son's job 'for all the tea in China'. At the same time he has been critical of Nigel Farage's Reform party which won control of the local authority Havering Council at last week's elections. It was the first time Reform had taken control of an authority in the capital and Farage described it as 'an historic shift in British politics'. When Mark posted in praise of his son over his efforts to end corridor chaos at a local hospital earlier this year, their relationship seemed to come as a surprise to some of his followers. Pointing out that Streeting, 43, was his 'eldest son' he added: 'Always proud of my kids. 'They've all achieved different things and overcome different challenges in life but thankfully they have turned out OK.' Other members of Streeting's family appear to share the same view. Arriving at the family home to walk the couple's pet dog while they were at work, a relative told the Daily Mail: 'We would certainly be very proud of him if he is the next Prime Minister.' In the run up to Streeting quitting his job and calling for a 'broad' leadership contest she added: 'Unfortunately we've literally just been told we can't talk to anyone - we don't really know what's going on anyway. 'He doesn't really talk about politics or anything to do with us - he just keeps it very family.' But asked about his working-class background she added: 'He's very down to earth with his roots, shall we say.' Meanwhile Corrina now lives in the north, in a modern house near Preston - again a step up from the circumstances in which she was born. And neighbours confirm she is just as proud of her prospective PM son as his father is. Mark was just 17 and Corrina was 18 when Streeting was born in January 1983 in Stepney, East London - which is 'within the sound of Bow Bells' making him a true cockney. In his autobiography, One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry-Up, Streeting recalled his maternal grandfather Bill Crowley, a 'career criminal' known to the Krays who was said to have been 'in and out of prison' for most of his life. The other Bill, was his parental grandfather - a Royal Navy World War Two veteran named Bill Streeting. Streeting, who is MP for Ilford North, has said the two men 'epitomise two very different stereotypical East End families'. He once said: 'My dad's side, the Streetings: straight-laced, by the book, 'pull yourself up by your bootstraps', respect, law and order, respect the monarchy, respect tradition… 'Granddad was in the Royal Navy in the Second World War, became a civil engineer, and following his divorce from my grandmother, his young wife, he was a single dad. A very nuclear East End family. 'On my mum's side, you've got Bill Crowley, who was in and out of prison throughout my mum's childhood and my childhood, with a string of convictions for robbery. 'My mum was born in prison. Well, not technically in prison - up the road at the Whittington hospital. My nan was in Holloway prison, where she shared her cell with Christine Keeler, who was sent there for the Profumo Affair.' Streeting, who came as gay while at university, has been with his fiance Joe Dancey since 2013. Dancey helped to organise the London 2012 Olympics as executive assistant to Lord Sebastian Coe, and was responsible for looking after then-Prime minister David Cameron during the games. In the 2024 General Election, Dancey stood for Labour in Stockton West Streeting's grandmother, Libby, who was also caught up in the criminal world, shared a cell with Christine Keeler and gave birth to Streeting's mother Corrina while she was in jail Meanwhile Libby's husband, Streeting's maternal grandfather Bill Crowley, a 'career criminal' known to the Krays who was said to have been 'in and out of prison' for most of his life It would appear his grandfather's offending had led directly to his grandmother Libby's incarceration after she was caught with stolen property. Born a labourer's daughter from South Wales, she is thought to have followed her older sister to the bright lights of London where she met Bill who is said to have endured a poverty-stricken childhood including 'real abuse'. The couple were married while Bill was serving time in Gloucester jail. They were both charged with further offences in 1974 and Corrina and her brother ended up in care. Streeting has recalled how Corrina left school with no qualifications and soon became a teenage mother - and was living in a flat in Stepney when he was born. He said: 'I think I'm technically what's known as an accident. And lots of people, my dad included, and the rest of the family, wanted my mum to have an abortion. He said: 'My mum was absolutely determined to prove herself, having had a baby against the wishes of the family. 'I think it gave her purpose and meaning in life.' Streeting told how he overcame the challenges of growing up on a deprived council estate with Corrina. It was a childhood plagued by poverty and crime as he grew up in a 1960's built block of flats on the Clichy Estate in Stepney, east London. He told how his teenage mother was so poor she couldn't afford to buy a cot for him. Streeting's young life took a turn for the worse when Corrina began dating a 'violent and controlling brute' when he was just two years old who subjected her to domestic violence. He recalled: 'At school, I realised, to my dismay and embarrassment, that I needed to join a separate queue to collect my 'dinner ticket' for my free school meal. 'While other members of my class joined the queue for their lunch, I trudged over to the back of another pretty lengthy line and felt my cheeks flush and my stomach grumble in protest. 'I made an effort to keep my chin up but I noticed a few of the other skinny boys in oversized uniforms ahead of me looking sheepishly over their shoulders at the rest of the kids. In his book describing his impoverished childhood, Streeting told how he overcame the challenges of growing up on a deprived council estate with his single mother, Corrina Streeting grew up at 22 Clichy House in Stepney, East London, a three bedroom maisonette. It was a childhood plagued by poverty and crime as he grew up in a 1960's built block of flats Mr Streeting senior lives less than 10 minutes from West Ham's training ground in a modest three bedroomed terraced house in Hornchurch, Essex which he bought for £233,000 in 2011 Car salesman Mark lives with his second wife Joe-anne who works at a local doctors' surgery following a long stint as an admin manager for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham 'I knew exactly what they were thinking – wondering if they were being judged for not being able to afford to pay for a hot meal. 'Had I known what 'stigmatising' meant when I was 11, I'm sure I would have used it to describe the experience.' His mother worked as a silver service waitress while his father - who he would later live with over periods variously worked as a pub landlord, a minicab driver and a car salesman. And she was determined to give her son opportunities that she never had. Streeting said: 'I always had a bookcase filled with books when I was growing up. She said, 'I'm not going to let you be made to feel stupid in the way that I was growing up'. 'When I got my first school report at the age of five, she cried her eyes out because she'd never seen a report that was so positive. I think it was like a validation that she was a good mum.' He lived with his mother while attending local primary school St Peter's in Tower Hamlets before going on to live with his father during his secondary school years. He studied at Westminster City - an all-boys state school with a good academic record - after his headteacher found him a place there. Streeting said: 'My dad was always the person who would take me by the ankles and pull me back down to earth. 'That balance was brilliant. He would say, 'You're going to get your GCSEs, you're going to get your A-levels and go to university…' On my dad's side of the family there is a very strong work ethic.' Libby went on to become a radical campaigner for social justice - marching against racism, joining picket lines and lobbying for better housing conditions with less overcrowding. With the encouragement of his teachers, a teenage Streeting applied to join a summer school at Cambridge University, which was run by the Sutton Trust charity. Streeting went on to apply to Cambridge University and secured a place to read history at Selwyn College in 2001, where he would come out as gay in his second year. He quickly became involved in student politics - first came to prominence as president of the National Union of Students. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. 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