???? NEW: Fiery exchange as @WesStreeting hits backs at accusations of Labour cronyism
— Josh Self (@Josh_Self_) September 9, 2024
“If she wants to lead with her chin and talk cronyism, let's talk cronyism. Why don't we talk about Owen Paterson, ... Lord Cameron...?”
Prompts Tory point of order which the chair dismisses pic.twitter.com/Rtl2xTSMZD
Wes Streeting skewered the Tories’ over their record in power amid allegations of “cronyism” against the Labour government.
The health secretary was responding to Conservative criticism of his decision to invite former New Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn into his department to give advice.
In the Commons on Monday, shadow health secretary Victoria Atkins highlighted Milburn’s private sector interests and asked what documents he had access to in the Department of Health and Social Care.
She said: “This is just more evidence of cronyism at the heart of this new Labour government.”
But Streeting hit back angrily, highlighting the lobbying scandals surrounding former Tory prime minister David Cameron, ex-minister Owen Paterson and Conservative peer Michelle Mone.
He said: “If she wants to lead with her chin and talk cronyism, let’s talk cronyism.
“Why don’t we talk Owen paterson’s lobbying health ministers on behalf of Randox.
“They cared so much about cronyism they welcomed back Lord Cameron with open arms following his paid lobbying for Greensill.
“And for reasons of ongoing court cases, let’s not even get into Baroness Mone and the £200m contract for PPE.
“Where was she during those sorry episodes? Cheering that government on, and presiding over a record of abysmal failure that’s put them on that side of the chamber.
“Not only is this government having to rebuild the public services they broke and rebuild the public finances they raided; we’re also having to rebuild the trust in politics that they destroyed.
“We will put politics back into the service of working people, rebuild all three and clearly we will have to do it without the support of the Conservative Party’s one nation tradition because they are not even running and they have abandoned their flag.
“It’s clear the Conservatives haven’t learned a thing from the defeat they were subjected to on July 4, and we’ll get on with the business of clearing up their mess.”
