Health Secretary Wes Streeting has told us of his worries about Reform UK and reminded people of Labour’s local achievements
Health Secretary Wes Streeting – here seen meeting patients at Queen’s Hospital in Romford – came to Coventry on a local election campaign visit and urged people to consider local services and the future of the NHS when casting their vote(Image: PA)
Voters in Coventry have been warned by Labour not to put local services and the NHS at risk by choosing Reform UK when all the city’s seats are up for grabs on May 7.
The Labour Government’s Health Secretary Wes Streeting says people in Coventry must not make the mistake of using their ballot paper to try to send a message of dissatisfaction to Downing Street.
Mr Streeting was in Coventry on a campaign visit to support the local Labour candidates ahead of the May 7 elections, when all 54 council seats – three in each of the 18 wards – will be filled.
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Latest projections for Coventry say Reform UK will win 17 seats to end up with 19, compared with Labour losing 18 seats to be left with 24. Labour would still have the majority but not enough for overall control of Coventry City Council.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service while in the city, Mr Streeting told us: “I’m out and about campaigning to support our brilliant team, campaigning in the run-up to the local elections. We’ve got a really good, strong Labour team here and we want to make sure we’ve got a Labour council working in partnership with a Labour government to really deliver for Coventry.”
Asked how much his party was concerned about Reform UK, Mr Streeting said: “We never ever take votes for granted. We’ve never taken people for granted and we’re fighting hard for every vote. I am worried about the threat of Reform.
“I’m worried about Nigel Farage and what he stands for: the division that Reform stokes, the plastic patriotism that they promote, his fake working-class image he tries to cultivate by standing at the bar of a pub with a pint in his hands when we see him in Parliament standing there with a glass of wine.
“I mean, this guy who’s promoting an insurance-based system for our NHS. It’s all right for Mr Moneybags, he can afford it. Just look at his outside earnings as an MP.
“But what about people across Coventry? I don’t think people would want to pay for insurance premiums.
“In fact, I think the best thing about the NHS is that whenever you fall ill, you never have to worry about the bill, that’s something we’re fighting to protect and defend. So this is a real clash of values and vision and experience and I just warn people that where Reform have been in local councils, they have been failing and we’ve seen divisions, infighting, promises not kept.
“Labour, we’ve got an experienced team. We’ve got a track record of delivering results and I hope people stick with us. The other thing I’d say is in government nationally, we’re not perfect, we’ve made some mistakes along the way. We’re learning from those.
“We’re also delivering real change, where there’s so much we’re getting right, particularly in the NHS, with falling waiting lists. And the local team have done such a good job.
“I think sometimes people think local elections are about sending a message. Actually it’s about choosing who runs your local services. With Labour, you’ve got a really strong, trusted team that are delivering results. Don’t put that risk with Reform.”
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We asked what Labour was achieving locally that could persuade people to vote for the party at this stage.
Mr Streeting said: “Just this week, we’ve got £14m going into the new community diagnostics centre. I’ve just been to have a look at the site with Mary Creagh (Labour MP for Coventry East) talking about the difference that that is going to make to cutting waiting lists and waiting times.
“Faster access to diagnostics means faster access to treatment, and this is going to make a real difference, and it’s just one of the examples of the difference that having a Labour government working with a Labour council makes.
“And I really hope that on May 7th, people vote for a strong Labour council to carry on working with a Labour government and also vote for the NHS because we know that Farage and Reform are hoping to make gains here.
“We know the threat they pose to the NHS. Farage said that he will replace the NHS with an insurance-based system. He said that very clearly. And I think if people who are thinking about voting for Reform knew that, it would make them think twice. So I urge people to vote for the NHS on May the 7th by voting Labour.”
But what about Labour’s local track record? Mr Streeting explained: “Look, we are beginning to see the real difference that voting for change at the last general election is making to our NHS. We’re seeing waiting lists falling, ambulance response times improving and access to general practice improving as well.
“And we’re seeing that not just reflected nationally where we’ve got the lowest waiting list in three years, the best A&E performance for four years and the fastest ambulance response times in five years.
“We’re seeing it right here in Coventry as well where waiting lists have fallen by 4,000. We’re seeing West Midlands Ambulance Service improving and responding faster now. Given some of the challenges we’ve seen in the ambulance services across the Midlands, it is really impressive, the improvement that we’re seeing.
“We wanted to get to an average of 30 minute by the end of March in ambulance response times. In terms of response to heart attack and stroke victims, those Category 2 responses, West Midlands Ambulance Service was responding in 19 minutes and 30 seconds in March 2026, which is just shy of the 18 minutes performance standard that we’re hoping to get to over the course of the Parliament.
“So I think there’s lots to be proud of here. The NHS team are working flat out. And, you know, local government is a big part of the work we’re doing on health and well-being, both in terms of promoting good health and public health, improving adult social care. And so having that strong Labour council working with the Labour government will help to deliver better results for Coventry.”
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