Transcripts For BBCNEWS Political Thinking with Nick... 20240929

Because of all of the debating, speaking, you know. Because of all of the debating, speaking, you know. And karaoke singing. 0k, singing. So, its been a great week here in liverpool. Yes, first Labour Conference in government for 15 years. Its hot Lemon And Honey in front of you. And i dont think were breaking any great secret to reveal that you were singing karaoke at the daily Mirror Party in the early hours of last night, or the early hours of this morning. And people call me the Fun Police. I do not understand. Why do you accept that . Its been a somewhat curious atmosphere here. Yes, definitely. Celebration. Ive seen lots of people, big smiles on their faces, thinking were in government again at last, but also a kind of unease. Well, i think we always knew that we would be in a period of post euphoria. Of post euphoria. Of post euphoria, pre delivery because Real Change takes time. And yes, im proud of some of the things ive done in my first weeks in office, whether thats the Junk Food Ad ban on those or employing 1,000 more gps onto the front line, which will happen in months. And of course, ending the Junior Doctors strikes with a deal with resident doctors, as theyre now called, which will now provide the conditions in which we can succeed on cutting waiting lists. But theres so much more to do. The challenge is enormous. And of course, i think that has concentrated minds this week. Of course, people are over the moon to be in government. Theres also hard choices and tough choices, and thats not easy. But my goodness, there hasnt been a single day in the last few months where i havent been conscious that i am doing what is unquestionably the best job ive ever had In My Life and probably will ever have In My Life. Do you feel that personal responsibility . I said in the introduction that people think, and ive heard it often said, if wes fails, we fail. If we Cant Deal with health, we cant be seen to have dealt with anything as a government. Is that how you feel . Yes. And as you said it, i thought i already felt a heavier weight of responsibility than anything you could lay on my shoulders, because the saturday we just had a just before conference kicked off, i went over to southport to meet a number of Nhs Staff who were responsible for responding to the grotesque spectacle of children lying bleeding in some cases, bleeding to death on the ground after that appalling, mindless attack. And what was humbling about what was in total two hours of listening to them describe their response was the way in which that team came together in the most extraordinary way that i think lots of people still arent even aware of, because it wasntjust the Ambulance Crew having to make split second decisions about who to see to in what order, in order to give the maximum chance of saving as many people as possible. It was the fact that in some cases, children were taken to hospitals that arent set up for paediatric care, and they were thinking on theirfeet and working at pace. And the whole team from the porters clearing corridors, the receptionists on the Phone Dealing with panic stricken parents. I sat there listening and, you know, ijust dont have the words to describe it. It was awe inspiring, it was horrifying and chilling. And and i sat there thinking, these people in front of me, these are remarkable people. Like, we use the word heroes lightly genuine heroes. Like, we use the word heroes lightly genuine heroes. But the real kicker was right at The End when one of them turned to me and said, you cant let this go. Were counting on you to turn this around. And after what had been actually a really emotionally fraught conversation, i mean, i just felt at that point completely overwhelmed. And i turned to them. And as ive said to lots of Nhs Staff over the summer, i cant do this on my own. I need this team. I need to galvanise nearly Two Million people across the country. And if we succeed, we will be the generation that takes the nhs from the worst crisis in its history, gets it back on its feet and makes it fit for the future. And having had my life saved by the nhs, i Cant Think of anything better to be doing with it. And have you found that doing this job that you are inevitably, each time you go out of meetings and the offices at whitehall, youre talking to people who, day in and day out, are saving peoples lives. Completely, because and this is in some ways the paradox of our modern nhs. On one hand, you have people like the Southpaw Responders and the surgical teams and the whole team that came together, and youve got people every day delivering outstanding life saving care. And at the same time, youve got people who are dying avoidably because the nhs wasnt there for them when they needed it, and staff going home at The End of a long shift, feeling like theyve had a punch in the guts because of the moral injury they sustain, because they bust their guts for their patients and know that despite their very best effort, it wont be good enough because of the conditions theyre working in. And thats why i have no hesitation whatsoever in being honest with the country that our nhs is broken. Its not beaten, but it is broken. Its interesting cos youre using that phrase again. You used it in your speech to the Labour Party conference, and you did it on a day when the bbc reported that there were people behind the scenes in the nhs in senior positions saying, look, we dont like this word broken. We know what he means. We know why hes saying it, but theres a danger that its going to spook patients, was the report. Its going to make it difficult to raise staff morale. Youve just repeated it knowingly. Why, given that . Because i think most people in this country, particularly people who work on the front line, want honesty. And lots of people in the nhs actually found it refreshing to finally have a Health Secretary whos willing to be honest and clear sighted about the scale of the challenge. If you put protecting the reputation of the nhs above protecting patients, youre not only putting Patient Safety at risk. You also risk killing the nhs with kindness. Does your language, does your diagnosis partly draw on your own experience as a Cancer Patient . You got diagnosed with Kidney Cancer back in 2021, and although ive no doubt like all of us whove been through that, youre massively grateful to the people who helped you. You also saw some of the bad side of the nhs as well. Thats right, and overall, i was really lucky with my Kidney Cancer diagnosis because it was caught early at stage one thanks to some kidney stones. To some kidney stones, actually. I was seen relatively quickly. I knew i wasnt going to die. I had one of the best Kidney Surgeons in the world using robotic surgery, and yet there were some problems along the way. There were. Sent for the wrong scan on one occasion, my follow ups, theyve often been delayed and ive suffered some of the inconvenience. But in some ways, its not my own experience with cancer that has galvanised my drive. Its the experience of other people i know with cancer who have not been as lucky as i have. And i think about in particular a constituent of mine whos become a good friend, nathaniel dye, who was diagnosed late at stage four and is now living with a death sentence. He is inevitably going to die. And just before i came in here to talk to you, he grabbed me as i came off the set of politics live. The set of politics live actually quite emotional, to say, i was at conference last year and i said, because he introduced me at the conference last year and he said he wanted to live to see a Labour Government. And he sat in the Hall Today in tears because he got to live to see the Labour Government getting to work. And going back to your point, nick, about emotion, that is humbling. And i do have Survivors Guilt. Sorry. I have Survivors Guilt about this because i know its not my Fault Or Anything like that, but it is a total injustice that i will live and hopefully live a very healthy and happy life because the nhs was there for me when i needed it, but he will die because the nhs wasnt there for him, wasnt there for him. And thats why i can look those opponents of reform squarely in the eye and say, i will not back down because ive got people like nathaniel in my Minds Eye and i will not let patients like him down. Now, we discussed when you were last on this podcast, this extraordinary family story, that youve got, just a little taste of it now. Just a little taste of it now, and whether its the key to why you are the fighter that you are. You said you went into a prison before you went to University Cos you visited your grandad, pops. It was an armed robber. I still remember hearing this story the first time. I was absolutely gobsmacked. Did you pick up from that experience that ability to stand up for yourself . Um, his wife, my nanny, libby. Ive definitely had really good Role Models in my family. His wife, my nanny, libby, she was a political fighter. She was a involved in the Labour Party, the local tenants association. She was a rabble rouser, she was a protester. She was involved in the wapping dispute, which i always every time i go and see one of the murdoch titles, i always raise a wry smile and look up and say, sorry, nan, but weve got to talk to everyone, and i know shed thoroughly disapprove. But ive definitely had from my from my nan, from my mum, encouragement to speak up and stand up for myself. And ive had different types of Role Models in my family as well, because thats the sort of the left Wing Side of the family on my Mums Side of the family and on my Dads Side of the family. As a politician is that people you loved and who loved you had profoundly different views of the world and of politics, and i assume you had to learn to love them, whether you agreed with them or not. I did very much. I mean, my granddad, granddad streeting, he was. He was my Best Friend growing up. I only had 11 years with him, unfortunately. But, you know, that was those were some of the most important moments of my life in terms of his impact on me. What i took from him and his inspiration, the way he encouraged my love of Learning And Respect for law and order, love of then queen, now King And Country ive definitely drawn from both traditions in my family, and ive certainly learned to see things from other peoples perspectives. Because he was a conservative, wasnt he . He was staunch conservative. The only time he didnt vote xonservative was when he voted liberal to stop labour in tower hamlets. So, he was a die hard anti labour. I mean, he would be so proud of me to be a member of parliament, let alone a member of the cabinet. But he would not approve remotely of the fact im a labourmp. Which brings us back to that argument that youre going to have to have about nhs reform. Whats the vision ten, 20, 30 years time . How different will the Health Service Look from how it looks now . We are in the foothills Of A Revolution in medical science how Health Care is delivered. And we are moving to a future where, thanks to genomics, artificial intelligence, Machine Learning and big data, we will not only be able to diagnose earlier and treat faster with a whole range of new treatments and interventions to tackle the biggest killers in our society and we will also be able to predict and prevent. That is game changing. So, youve got this vision predict and prevent. Weve had all the hints this week that the rules of Government Borrowing can be tweaked a bit, in order that you can get some money for investment in the nhs not the day to day, but for better tech and for better buildings. Are you hopefulfor the budget . Fiscal policy is a matter for the chancellor. Oh, well done but let me tell you, ahead of the budget and the spending review, not only is Rachel Reeves our first woman chancellor, she is the greatest chancellor ever to exist in the history of that great office. And my effusive praise of Rachel Reeves is not just because we wouldnt have won The General Election without her. Its cos you want her to write you a cheque no, its. Oh, what a cynic. Its nothing to do with the budget and the spending review. But if youre listening, rachel, thanks very much. Keep up the good work. Now, weve done the reform bit. Lets do the other bit that you say spooks, people like the daily mail. Its the Fun Police. As you have called it, Health Secretary has always have to opine on peoples habits and therefore get asked whether theyre hypocrites. So, Stand By wes streeting. No, here we go. Do you or have you ever smoked . No. Never . No. Do you or have you ever drunk too much . 0h, actually, ithink i need to correct the first question. I think i may have had shisha in the middle east. Ah, well. Yeah, but thats really bad for you. You know, its like the equivalent of having something like 100 cigarettes. Its really. It was just once, though. Yeah, 0k. Thats my confession done. Do you or have you ever drunk too much . Um, yes, quite recently. Last night . No, i was disciplined last night. 0h, right, you had a speech to give. Do you eat badly . Yes. And despite my Post Cancer Resolution being focussed on my diet and my exercise, i am. I am partial to junk food. Now, given that confession, is that in your mind when you get nervous about what you call being the Fun Police . Because only this week one of your ministers, the Public Health minister, andrew gwynne, seemed to be saying, look, were looking at the possibility of having to tighten up the hours of operation of pubs, because, you know, alcohol is a big problem. And the quickest anybody at this conference has come out and said, no, its not happening. I had Pat Mcfadden sitting pretty much where you are on the tape. No, were not going to do that. Is that why youre nervous of it . Well, thats because Pat Mcfadden i learned this this morning in The End the daily email from politico. Holds the record with me of attending the most parties at this conference, so im not surprised party pat doesnt want to curtail the Pub Opening hours, and were not going to do that. But we do need to get serious about Public Health. And im thinking about this in two ways, really. One is, are there things that we need to regulate on, in which case i think we need to have that debate with the country, because i dont believe in doing two people, two doing things, two people in politics. I want to take people with us. But secondly, and actually, on a more positive note, what can we do to bring more joy to peoples lives in a whole number of ways, whether its sport, art, culture, that not only makes life worth living, but gives us a better chance of living life to the full until the very end. Because if you are out walking and in beautiful places, or if youve got affordable and accessible Leisure And Recreation locally, if youre able to play an instrument, if youre able to swim, ride a bike, youre more likely to not only live well, but live well for longer. Lets go back to where we began this conversation, which is the joy you obviously feel about having finally won this election. You told me a while back that you felt youd been living in purgatory when you lost all those elections, and you lost the referendum on Brexit And Life was not easy. As it happens, we were together when that Exit Poll came in, i remember i was presenting the Radio Election special. I remember. I was presenting the Radio Election special. You were the first Labour Guest of the night. And as i read out the numbers, which i had actually known for about a quarter of an hour, but was sworn not to reveal indeed, i have to sign a non Disclosure Agreement when im told that information because it is entirely confidential i looked at the joy that you felt. Do you remember that moment . I do. I had stuart wood, Lord Wood of anfield, to my left, and ijust remember thejust sheer relief of that Exit Poll and the shock because i never, ever believed that we would win a landslide like that, even though thats where the polls were pointing and where the partys own data had beginning, had begun to point us to. Stuart leaned across and grabbed my arm, and i put my my hand on his arm, and there was that Moment Ofjust Camaraderie of wed done it. And i sort of leapt out of your studio and then bounced around the Media Studios almost, just having a great time. But then gravity set closer to home. You headed home to get your own constituency results and you almost didnt get in despite this vast landslide . It was mighty close, wasnt it . So, i had a Phone Call from my agent because, you know, as the count� s under way, you can get a sense of how the votes are landing. And i had a Phone Call from my agent saying, you need to come to the count, its going to be close. I got to the count, and my agent looked at me, Ashen Faced and said, im really sorry, but i cant tell you if youve won or not. And i had to put a brave face on throughout the count, knowing that, especially once the result came in, if a few hundred votes had gone the other way, i would be in the same boat as my friends and Jonathan Ashworth and thangam debbonaire, who were comrades in arms in the Shadow Cabinet and part of the team that Led Labour to victory. And injohns case, i mean, literally in the Engine Room of the general Election Campaign, werent sat with us around the Cabinet Table. Majority down to 528 from 5000, because a young woman, 24 year old british palestinian activist, leanne mohammed, Ran On A Pro Gaza Anti Labour because she thought labour had let the people of gaza down. What have you learnt from that political near miss. Well, there are two Things Id say about the campaign. Firstly, because i know my constituency well, its been my home for 20 odd years. I knew the impact that Labours Position on gaza was having on the doorstep, and i knew it was difficult. And some of the critique of Labours Position in opposition i shared and had raised around the Shadow Cabinet table, which i wouldnt normally talk about, but someone briefed it to the guardian. What, you thought the Party Hadnt been hardline enough on . We hadnt been firm enough. And actually, i think we got to a much better position by The General Election. But by that time, peoples views had formed and there were lots of people in my constituency and elsewhere who decided they wanted to send labour a message, which is perfectly legitimate thing to do. And that bit of the campaign i can take on the chin. What i found utterly sinister and chilling from the Point Of View of the future of our democracy was that during the election, beyond all the silly stuff that she said about i wanted to privatise the nhs when i literally said over my dead body, during that week of the election, someone i dont know who created an Audio Clip Purporting to be me, which went like wildfire around Social Media of someone using language about dead palestinian children in gaza, which if i thought was my local labour candidate, even i wouldnt have voted for. Now, ive got to let you go and have a rest because it has been a long week. It was perhaps a rather nice irony. Maybe it was deliberate that when i mentioned you were singing karaoke. Come on, lets reveal what it was you were singing last night. I went up to sing with my Matejon Ashworth dont look back in anger. And your mate, who youve just mentioned, lost his seat because of this issue of gaza. I imagine even last night, the two of you together on that stage, celebrating. But a bittersweet moment as you think of what might have been and what is. If i think back to my first Cabinet Meeting, there are two things that i really remember that i really rememberfrom it, beyond the Obvious Surrealism Of Being Sat around the Cabinet Table as a member of our countrys cabinet. And it is bitter and sweet. The Sweet Bit was keir talking about the Wess Dad test that wed established during The General Election would my lifelong conservative Voting Dad Vote labour at this general election . And keirsaid, and probably one of the only in fact, the only time ill say what the Prime Minister said at a Cabinet Meeting but keir said we passed the Wess Dad Test And Weve got to deliver for people like wesleys dad, who voted for us other people whove stuck with labour through thick and thin. And so, there was this sweet moment of, i cannot believe im sat here as a member of the cabinet opposite the Prime Minister, whos talking about my dad at the Cabinet Table. And i was proud of keir, proud of the rest of the team, but also really proud of my dad because i wouldnt be sat there without him. And then there was a bitterness of Thinking John should be there, thangam should be there. And particularly becausejohn was one of the people, you know, at the heart of the national Election Campaign who really threw himself into it. Thats the bitterness and the sadness. But hes still here. Hes still going. Were not looking back in anger. And the best is yet to come forjohn, for the Labour Party and for the country. Wes streeting, thank you so much forjoining me again on political thinking. Thank you. Wes streeting clearly believes that hes got the permission of Nhs Staff to say that the Health Service is broken permission, because deep down, they know that that is true. I suspect that that permission is conditional, though, on him proving he knows how to fix it. Thanks for watching. Hello there. Saturdays Sunny Skies will gradually be eroded by cloud and then Wind And Rain for many as we close out sunday. Yes, its going to gradually turn wet and windy, particularly from the South And West. Now, weve already, in Southern England, seen some record breaking Rainfall Totals for the month, and werejust going to add to those totals over the next few days. Some areas could see another 50 60mm before we close out the month. So, heres that area of low pressure gradually winding its way in from the southwest. Ahead of it though, clearer skies, so it will be a chilly start to our sunday morning. Some early morning sunshine, but gradually well see that cloud pushing its way steadily north and east, perhaps North East England and eastern scotland clinging on to the best of the brightness throughout the day. So as we go through to the afternoon, we mightjust see some Sunny Skies continuing. Cloudier skies out to the west, a few isolated showers, temperatures generally between 12 and 1a degrees. Not too bad in the afternoon into Northern Ireland and North East England as well, but you can see The Cloud arriving. Therell be a few outbreaks of showers ahead of it moving through the midlands, gradually the heaviest of the rain pushing into South And West wales along with southwest england, and the winds, will strengthen to Gale Force gusts with it, too. Top temperatures generally then 12 to 15 degrees as we go through sunday afternoon. Top temperatures generally then 12 15 degrees as we go through sunday afternoon. So, those gusty winds will strengthen further overnight as that rain continues to move its way steadily north and east, pushing into the midlands, Southeast England and to the north of england by Dawn On Monday Morning. We keep the clearer skies in scotland. Here, still single figures, but not quite as cold to start Monday Morning with The Cloud, Wind And Rain. There is still a level of uncertainty exactly where this low pressure is going to sit. Its going to be pretty slow moving. Potentially, the heaviest of the rain will always be across england and wales, with a few scattered sharper showers into Northern Ireland and a drier story for much of scotland. But well keep a close eye on that. Some of that rain really quite heavy across northwest england for a time, potentially brightening up by The End of the afternoon across central and southern central and Southern England 13 17 degrees. The low pressure slowly starts to ease away on tuesday and then on wednesday a quieter story with a greater chance of seeing more sunshine for early october. Live from washington, live from washington, this is bbc news. This is bbc news. Hezbollah leader hassan Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah has been killed nasrallah has been killed in israeli strikes on beirut. In israeli strikes on beirut. Israels Prime Minister calls it an historic turning point, but irans supreme Leader Vows Nasrallahs Death but irans supreme Leader Vows Nasrallahs Death will not go unavenged. Will not go unavenged. This is the scene live this is the scene live in beirut, where officials say in beirut, where officials say 11 people are dead and more 11 people are dead and more than 100 were injured than 100 were injured in strikes on friday. In strikes on friday. Elsewhere, at least 45 people have died and millions are without power, after Hurricane Helene hit the south eastern united states