Labour civil war explodes as Wes Streeting fires shot at Rachel Reeves

Labour civil war explodes as Wes Streeting fires shot at Rachel ReevesLabour has exploded into an all-out civil war as Wes Streeting fires shots at Rachel Reeves just weeks after resigning from Keir Starmer's cabinet. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Add us as preferred source Comments By Ewan Gleadow 22:10, Sun, May 31, 2026 Updated: 22:24, Sun, May 31, 2026 Wes Streeting's response to Rachel Reeves has split Labour further (file) (Image: Getty)Wes Streeting has taken aim at Chancellor Rachel Reeves in a move that has escalated Labour's civil war. The former Health Secretary hit out at Ms Reeves' controversial hike to employer national insurance earlier this week. Businesses had warned the chancellor that such a hike would be a further knock to recruitment figures, particularly for young people. window.scriptsToLoad.push({url:'https://live.primis.tech/live/liveView.php?s=118222&vp_content=plembed3a6btjknzwqh&cbuster=%%CACHEBUSTER%%&playerApiId=v118222',triggeredBy:'tcfLoaded',delay:1500,containerId:'ovp-primis',title:"Primis player",beforeLoad:()=>{window.top.addEventListener('primisPlayerInit',e=>{try{if(e.detail&&e.detail.playerApiId==="v118222"){if(window.document.getElementsByClassName('jwplayer')[0]){e.detail.float('disable')}}}catch(e){}})},}) Mr Streeting told the Sunday Times that there should be a "targeted reduction" of employers' national insurance contributions as a way to "actively incentivise" those same businesses to hire young people. This view went against Ms Reeves' implemented tax plan and fractured the Labour Party further, with some saying Mr Streeting's proposed finance plan is poor. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Get the latest politics news - straight from our team in Westminster and more Subscribe Invalid emailWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd partie...