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One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up: A Memoir of Growing Up and Getting On
Wes Streeting might have ended up in prison rather than in parliament. His maternal grandfather Bill, an unsuccessful armed robber, spent time behind bars, as did his grandmother, who was also a political campaigner.
Brought up on a Stepney council estate, the young Streeting saw his teenage parents struggle to provide for him. In One Boy, Two Bills & A Fry Up he brings to life the poverty, humiliation and incredible struggle for them choosing whether to feed the meter and heat the flat, put carpet on the floor, or food on the table.
Wes Streeting knows it was the help and inspiration he received from the great characters that surrounded him, especially his paternal grandfather (also called Bill), that ultimately set him on the way to Cambridge and then Parliament. He knew he could draw on the strengths in childhood to eventually come out, and to go on and face his now successful struggle with kidney cancer.
This honest, uplifting, affectionate memoir is a tribute to the love and support which set him on his way out of poverty, and informs everything about Wes Streeting's mission now in politics.
Brought up on a Stepney council estate, the young Streeting saw his teenage parents struggle to provide for him. In One Boy, Two Bills & A Fry Up he brings to life the poverty, humiliation and incredible struggle for them choosing whether to feed the meter and heat the flat, put carpet on the floor, or food on the table.
Wes Streeting knows it was the help and inspiration he received from the great characters that surrounded him, especially his paternal grandfather (also called Bill), that ultimately set him on the way to Cambridge and then Parliament. He knew he could draw on the strengths in childhood to eventually come out, and to go on and face his now successful struggle with kidney cancer.
This honest, uplifting, affectionate memoir is a tribute to the love and support which set him on his way out of poverty, and informs everything about Wes Streeting's mission now in politics.
284 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 29, 2023
60 people are currently reading
395 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
July 14, 2023
4.25- what a lovely memoir. his story was so compelling. The trajectory his life has taken was so interesting and opened my eyes to the brutal hardship of working class poverty in london. His concluding thoughts about the welfare system, poverty in the uk, and the importance of education for children were spot on. He remains as one of the few MPs right now who are doing it right. He works with compassion and for good.
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November 26, 2023Took a while to plough through the first half about his family- it was important for context but just too much extraneous detail for me. Picked up when he talked about himself and his struggles. He succeeded despite his poverty through the support of family and teachers, and acknowledged it’s even harder today than it was in his day to rise from an unprivileged background.
July 4, 2023
This memoir was a true emotional rollercoaster, definitely shed a few unexpected tears at a few points and honestly I’m surprised I didn’t shed more. The events and people described by Wes are almost like characters from a movie. I throughly enjoyed reading about his life and I can definitely say I’m proud to have given him my very first vote at 18 and then all my votes thereafter.
August 23, 2023
interesting autobiography of the Labour MP who grew up in the East End of London and his journey with his family and studying at Cambridge and his involvement with the NUS and then becoming a MP
August 30, 2024
Not a particularly challenging read and sometimes clumsily written - but an interesting and affirmative life story.
July 14, 2024
Another really enjoyable read, which surprised me a little bit with this being a non-political memoir. However, I felt that Wes comes across really well here and it’s clear the challenges that he has had to overcome in order to get to where he is today.
Really interesting to see the scale of the poverty which is still endemic in this country, especially when you realise that sadly there are still far too many children with a similar story right now. Hopefully now Wes is in government he can contribute to changing that.
Really interesting to see the scale of the poverty which is still endemic in this country, especially when you realise that sadly there are still far too many children with a similar story right now. Hopefully now Wes is in government he can contribute to changing that.
May 8, 2025
Although i didn’t know very much about Wes Streeting, it was interesting to read a book that was central to the time I grew up but from a different perspective. Some of the themes are very relatable and I was interested in the outcomes of the people that influenced Streeting and had been brought to life so well.
January 4, 2024
I enjoyed this, a straightforward description of Wes Streeting's life from his point of view.
November 19, 2024
An enjoyable read though I skipped a lot of the political stuff at the end. I got confused between all the women called Nan sometimes too.
April 22, 2025
Fantastic book
October 27, 2025
Fantastic memoir, I've liked Wes for a while so to hear more about his background and childhood was fascinating. We need more people like Wes in politics, a diversity of backgrounds. Really hope he becomes PM one day.
December 11, 2023
Really well-written, a both interesting and moving account of his life and childhood in particular and how it’s shaped his politics, from the experience of growing up on benefits to siding with his mother’s Labour politics over his grandfather’s Toryism because of seeing the then governments attitudes to single mothers like his to the importance of education, as well as making the case for the NUS from his experience there.
It makes very clear he is not, as some try to pretend, a “Tory in disguise” but rather someone who – whether or not you agree with him on everything (which it’s rare for any two people to do!) – is motivated by getting Labour into power to do good for those in circumstances like those he grew up in.
Whilst I was already aware of some aspects of his background, I learned so much more from this and and was both reminded again of depressing realities and entertained by discussion of the fun moments, the whole thing rich with emotion, as well as finding out new things entirely, like his grandmother's friendship with Christine Keeler. Certainly not a book it was easy to put down!
It makes very clear he is not, as some try to pretend, a “Tory in disguise” but rather someone who – whether or not you agree with him on everything (which it’s rare for any two people to do!) – is motivated by getting Labour into power to do good for those in circumstances like those he grew up in.
Whilst I was already aware of some aspects of his background, I learned so much more from this and and was both reminded again of depressing realities and entertained by discussion of the fun moments, the whole thing rich with emotion, as well as finding out new things entirely, like his grandmother's friendship with Christine Keeler. Certainly not a book it was easy to put down!
July 24, 2023
A very quick read, not quite what I was expecting. I agree he didn't have an easy start but he is far from alone in this. There are some unexplained opinions e.g. describing the House of Lords as "unelected fuddy-duddies" seems a broad brush attack without any explanation of why he feels this way. Also, he seems to have been luckier than most in having teachers willing to help him make connections. Hard to recommend this book as a political work.
April 15, 2025
Overall, an interesting read, providing a first-hand account of how social and economic barriers obstruct the workings of a supposed, but mythical meritocracy.
Wes Streeting's upbringing and early adulthood involved an average mix of good and bad luck. I wouldn't say he was particularly underprivileged relative to the population as a whole - his father was buying a house in London while Wes was still a child. But compared to most MPs and members of the government, his background is probably more humble than most.
His good fortune included having a large extended family, who for most of his childhood lived within walking distance of each other. He was also very lucky to have adults in his life who took the trouble to read to him, and who taught him to read before he started school. This is a great advantage, regardless of how much money those adults may have had. He was also fortunate in having adult role-models who had a great deal of self-confidence - a trait Wes has either inherited or absorbed. Possibly the luckiest accident of his birth was being born in London. This fact alone placed him within the orbit of many opportunities from which others are excluded. For example, one of his school governors just happened to be a professor of History at Queen Mary University London, who happened to be a good friend of the Vice-Master of Selwyn College Cambridge. This kind of serendipity is much rarer in the provinces. Also, his secondary school chapel just happened to be the same one used by Westminster MPs.
There were also negatives in his upbringing: his young parents split up soon after he was born, and his mother spent a long time on benefits while raising a large family. This meant that Wes endured the humiliation of being a 'free school meal' kid. His maternal grandfather was in and out of prison, though Wes does not go into much detail about his crimes. Two of his beloved grandparents died while he was still a child, and his parents' relationships and living arrangements underwent frequent change. This chaos was mitigated by the safety net of his large extended family, but still would have been enormously unsettling. He experienced homophobic bullying at school, which must have contributed to his 'living a lie' until he reached his second year at university.
I found the first half of the book less interesting than the second, and was a bit disappointed with the quality of the writing.
Definitely worth a read. His final analysis of the barriers to opportunity in the UK is spot-on, and perhaps it takes someone with a bit of lived experience to recognise the reality. It's probably fair to say that Wes Streeting is a controversial figure in the Labour movement, and is seen as being on the right of the party. The book does not touch on internal Labour politics at all (thankfully!) so whatever your own views, you can read this book without getting annoyed about all that.
Wes Streeting's upbringing and early adulthood involved an average mix of good and bad luck. I wouldn't say he was particularly underprivileged relative to the population as a whole - his father was buying a house in London while Wes was still a child. But compared to most MPs and members of the government, his background is probably more humble than most.
His good fortune included having a large extended family, who for most of his childhood lived within walking distance of each other. He was also very lucky to have adults in his life who took the trouble to read to him, and who taught him to read before he started school. This is a great advantage, regardless of how much money those adults may have had. He was also fortunate in having adult role-models who had a great deal of self-confidence - a trait Wes has either inherited or absorbed. Possibly the luckiest accident of his birth was being born in London. This fact alone placed him within the orbit of many opportunities from which others are excluded. For example, one of his school governors just happened to be a professor of History at Queen Mary University London, who happened to be a good friend of the Vice-Master of Selwyn College Cambridge. This kind of serendipity is much rarer in the provinces. Also, his secondary school chapel just happened to be the same one used by Westminster MPs.
There were also negatives in his upbringing: his young parents split up soon after he was born, and his mother spent a long time on benefits while raising a large family. This meant that Wes endured the humiliation of being a 'free school meal' kid. His maternal grandfather was in and out of prison, though Wes does not go into much detail about his crimes. Two of his beloved grandparents died while he was still a child, and his parents' relationships and living arrangements underwent frequent change. This chaos was mitigated by the safety net of his large extended family, but still would have been enormously unsettling. He experienced homophobic bullying at school, which must have contributed to his 'living a lie' until he reached his second year at university.
I found the first half of the book less interesting than the second, and was a bit disappointed with the quality of the writing.
Definitely worth a read. His final analysis of the barriers to opportunity in the UK is spot-on, and perhaps it takes someone with a bit of lived experience to recognise the reality. It's probably fair to say that Wes Streeting is a controversial figure in the Labour movement, and is seen as being on the right of the party. The book does not touch on internal Labour politics at all (thankfully!) so whatever your own views, you can read this book without getting annoyed about all that.
May 17, 2024
I was intrigued when I heard that Wes Streeting had written a memoir. I have been impressed with him as a politician when I’ve heard him speak. Though, I wondered why he had written a book so early in his career.
My opinion was very wrong. The book wasn’t really about politics, but his life growing up. The book was endearing and charming. The stories that Wes would tell about his Grandad Streeting and Nanny Libby were very relatable. I also grew up in the 1990s and found myself sharing some of Wes’s experiences.
The book was excellent and I can’t wait to read the inevitable second volume about his successful political career.
My opinion was very wrong. The book wasn’t really about politics, but his life growing up. The book was endearing and charming. The stories that Wes would tell about his Grandad Streeting and Nanny Libby were very relatable. I also grew up in the 1990s and found myself sharing some of Wes’s experiences.
The book was excellent and I can’t wait to read the inevitable second volume about his successful political career.
August 13, 2024
A very entertaining memoir.
Wes Streeting is brought up in poverty with a dysfunctional family who struggle just to make ends meet.
Yet, through perseverance, the help of his family & some Teachers who see his potential, he achieves well at school, passes his A levels and goes to Cambridge University where he becomes involved in the NUS.
On leaving University he is torn between a good job and a role in minor politics. Eventually he makes his choice and stands in the local elections.
His path is now set and he is elected as a Parliamentary candidate and becomes a Labour MP.
This is an inspiring book and a lesson to all of us who fight against a poor start in life.
A really enjoyable read.
Wes Streeting is brought up in poverty with a dysfunctional family who struggle just to make ends meet.
Yet, through perseverance, the help of his family & some Teachers who see his potential, he achieves well at school, passes his A levels and goes to Cambridge University where he becomes involved in the NUS.
On leaving University he is torn between a good job and a role in minor politics. Eventually he makes his choice and stands in the local elections.
His path is now set and he is elected as a Parliamentary candidate and becomes a Labour MP.
This is an inspiring book and a lesson to all of us who fight against a poor start in life.
A really enjoyable read.
July 10, 2024
I don't often read political autobiographies... and I'm a lifelong Liberal Democrat member, activist and voter... so this was an unusual choice for me. However, Wes' Wikipedia biopic piqued my interest.
I found this a fascinating story of a youngster working to fulfill his potential. The heros of the story are Wes' parents and grandparents who, despite difficulties and hardships, loved and supported him so he could do as well as he has. I take my hat off to them.
This book won't change my political affiliation, but I will be watching Wes Streeting's career with interest.
I found this a fascinating story of a youngster working to fulfill his potential. The heros of the story are Wes' parents and grandparents who, despite difficulties and hardships, loved and supported him so he could do as well as he has. I take my hat off to them.
This book won't change my political affiliation, but I will be watching Wes Streeting's career with interest.
August 3, 2023
I am not a Wes Streeting fan. Perhaps it us a bit early fie an autobiography but as the book starts with his diagnosis of kidney cancer, why risk it?
My favourite character in the book is his grandad who worked for his money and loved his family. He was poor but he did his best and is presented as a man who faced difficulties and overcame them.
Read the book in a weekend so it must have been good.
My favourite character in the book is his grandad who worked for his money and loved his family. He was poor but he did his best and is presented as a man who faced difficulties and overcame them.
Read the book in a weekend so it must have been good.
July 22, 2023
This is a delightful memoir.
I'm not informed of Streeting or his rise to political prominence, but the story outlined in this memoir, extols the virtues of the character and perseverance I like to see in MPs.
This was a pleasant discovery after listening to Streeting being interviewed on the radio.
I'm not informed of Streeting or his rise to political prominence, but the story outlined in this memoir, extols the virtues of the character and perseverance I like to see in MPs.
This was a pleasant discovery after listening to Streeting being interviewed on the radio.
July 9, 2024
This is a wonderful memoir of the new health secretary, Wes Streeting who chronicles his life growing up in a working-class family and the inspirational people behind his love of politics and his fight to become a member of parliament under Labour. It is honest, heart-warming and inspirational! I really enjoyed this book!
September 12, 2024
A thoroughly enjoyable read.
This book gives insight into an impoverished East End childhood but reassuringly filled with love.
Education is the key to making life better and it served Wes Streeting well.
His gratitude to teachers is palpable .
A stark contrast to the current situation in politics and Education.
After reading this I feel hopeful for the future.
This book gives insight into an impoverished East End childhood but reassuringly filled with love.
Education is the key to making life better and it served Wes Streeting well.
His gratitude to teachers is palpable .
A stark contrast to the current situation in politics and Education.
After reading this I feel hopeful for the future.
December 29, 2024
Interesting read
I knew who Wes Streeting was but did not know much about his life story. This book is written in a very honest and open way allowing the reader to fully grasp the successes and struggles that Wes faced. It is well worth reading, especially as I grew up in London and could relate to many of the places mentioned in the book.
I knew who Wes Streeting was but did not know much about his life story. This book is written in a very honest and open way allowing the reader to fully grasp the successes and struggles that Wes faced. It is well worth reading, especially as I grew up in London and could relate to many of the places mentioned in the book.
April 1, 2025
An inspirational story of triumph over adversity. Wes Streeting’s life could easily have gone the way expected of his start in life to teenage parents in the poverty trap but his mother & grandfather gave him a passion for books and learning & a teacher who saw his potential guided him in reaching his potential. A fantastic read, couldn’t put it down.
July 6, 2025
Easy read, likeable guy, selfmade man, modest chap. I found it almost unbelievable that, in a civilised European country, living conditions in the 80s were so shamefully desperate as to be almost on a level with 3rd world countries. Haven't finished the book yet, after 2/3ds it failed to keep my attention. An interesting read nonetheless by a capable but not a great writer.
May 10, 2024
Now available in paperback (May, 2024)
One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up
At the end of June a familiar face appeared on BBC Breakfast, but I didn't recognise him straight away. As he explained, he wasn't in his usual 'armour' of a suit and tie that he normally wears as a Member of the Shadow Cabinet. It was, of course, Wes Streeting in his casual civvies promoting his new book.
Wes is an upstanding young Labour MP and I always give him my attention, but on this occasion he spoke of being a gay boy who had grown up on a council estate and been the first member of his family to obtain a university degree. With so much in common I knew I had to read his book!
This book will appeal to anyone, however, who enjoys a tale of determination and hard work conquering all obstacles to come out on top. As Wes grows up his life takes him into various communities which, on the whole, give him the support he needs at the time.
It's not a tale of rags to riches! Wes, when faced with a choice of steady income and security or taking a risky, political path, always chooses the latter. Self improvement, experience and the desire to make a difference to the lives of others are the things that motivate him.
For Wes his first community is obviously the one he was born in based in the East End of London and his extended family. The significance of the title 'fry up' is soon explained and we learn that the two Bills are his two grandfathers, on either wing of his family, that couldn't be much more dissimilar. Wes has an unpredictable home life living in different places and with different people and experiences being the child of a one parent family with each of his parents in turn.
It's his Grandfather Streeting, his father's father, who instills in Wes a sensible work ethic and his primary school headteacher who fosters Wes's love of learning that enable him to start his climb out of Tower Hamlets. The school's links with a local church and putting on plays give Wes other spheres to develop himself.
Wes manages to secure himself a place at Westminster City School, joins the Drama Club with his friend Luke and continues his church connections. Two things make difficulties for him; the constant lack of any spare cash to pay for things and the actions of bullies. How do these rough, ilinformed lads know that we are gay before we do?
In the first quarter of the book we are given a fairly extensive history of both sides of Wes's family. At times it felt a little too extensive, but I think it was justified as various members of the family passed on, as they always do, and Wes has to take this all on board as well as new members coming to the family with new relationships and births. That's life. Also, understanding the experiences of his family members was to help Wes empathise with constituents and others seeking help.
With good advice again, Wes manages to get himself a place at Cambridge at Selwyn College, a great achievement for someone from such a disadvantaged background lacking funds and connections. He helped to finance things himself best he could working at McDonald's restaurants and Comet stores, but couldn't avoid accruing considerable debts. People who could see his talents always seem to have been there when Wes needed them and this was the same when it came to finding jobs, jobs that he always needed but gave up when they came into conflict with his political ambitions.
I was heartened to read that Wes was no 'goody-two-shoes' and that he was a normal student with a healthy social life but was saddened that he didn't join the 'Footlights', an occasion where his background got the better of him. Wes doesn't seem to have had problems with the mechanics of coming out, his father and partner got to know of it accidentally, but it was ok. It was his faith that he needed to reconcile.
Wes made great strides politically as a student eventually becoming NUS President, then a councillor, then a deputy council leader before becoming an MP. At every stage friends he had made helped with greater and greater campaigns. His jobs stretched his abilities en route and he became used to moving things on and being an advocate for others.
Wes becoming a Labour MP was remarkable in that it bucked the national trend, he was openly gay, skint and also so young! I laughed out loud when he took his mother to the Palace of Westminster and he worried that she might bring out his baby photos to show to the staff!
At the City school Wes thought he had been prevented from being Head Prefect because of his gayness and it was an issue for some when he sought candidacy in his first general election. I would go as far as to say that this book is for anyone who has experienced prejudice.
Wes paraphrases the words of a young Muslim woman "....those of us who know what it means to experience prejudice have a special responsibility to stand with each other against all forms of hatred and bigotry". Wise words indeed. Anyone acknowledging those words, I think, is rightfully in parliament. I look forward to the next volume of Wes Streeting's life, with more great strides, hopefully within Government.
Chris Buck, August 2023
One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up
At the end of June a familiar face appeared on BBC Breakfast, but I didn't recognise him straight away. As he explained, he wasn't in his usual 'armour' of a suit and tie that he normally wears as a Member of the Shadow Cabinet. It was, of course, Wes Streeting in his casual civvies promoting his new book.
Wes is an upstanding young Labour MP and I always give him my attention, but on this occasion he spoke of being a gay boy who had grown up on a council estate and been the first member of his family to obtain a university degree. With so much in common I knew I had to read his book!
This book will appeal to anyone, however, who enjoys a tale of determination and hard work conquering all obstacles to come out on top. As Wes grows up his life takes him into various communities which, on the whole, give him the support he needs at the time.
It's not a tale of rags to riches! Wes, when faced with a choice of steady income and security or taking a risky, political path, always chooses the latter. Self improvement, experience and the desire to make a difference to the lives of others are the things that motivate him.
For Wes his first community is obviously the one he was born in based in the East End of London and his extended family. The significance of the title 'fry up' is soon explained and we learn that the two Bills are his two grandfathers, on either wing of his family, that couldn't be much more dissimilar. Wes has an unpredictable home life living in different places and with different people and experiences being the child of a one parent family with each of his parents in turn.
It's his Grandfather Streeting, his father's father, who instills in Wes a sensible work ethic and his primary school headteacher who fosters Wes's love of learning that enable him to start his climb out of Tower Hamlets. The school's links with a local church and putting on plays give Wes other spheres to develop himself.
Wes manages to secure himself a place at Westminster City School, joins the Drama Club with his friend Luke and continues his church connections. Two things make difficulties for him; the constant lack of any spare cash to pay for things and the actions of bullies. How do these rough, ilinformed lads know that we are gay before we do?
In the first quarter of the book we are given a fairly extensive history of both sides of Wes's family. At times it felt a little too extensive, but I think it was justified as various members of the family passed on, as they always do, and Wes has to take this all on board as well as new members coming to the family with new relationships and births. That's life. Also, understanding the experiences of his family members was to help Wes empathise with constituents and others seeking help.
With good advice again, Wes manages to get himself a place at Cambridge at Selwyn College, a great achievement for someone from such a disadvantaged background lacking funds and connections. He helped to finance things himself best he could working at McDonald's restaurants and Comet stores, but couldn't avoid accruing considerable debts. People who could see his talents always seem to have been there when Wes needed them and this was the same when it came to finding jobs, jobs that he always needed but gave up when they came into conflict with his political ambitions.
I was heartened to read that Wes was no 'goody-two-shoes' and that he was a normal student with a healthy social life but was saddened that he didn't join the 'Footlights', an occasion where his background got the better of him. Wes doesn't seem to have had problems with the mechanics of coming out, his father and partner got to know of it accidentally, but it was ok. It was his faith that he needed to reconcile.
Wes made great strides politically as a student eventually becoming NUS President, then a councillor, then a deputy council leader before becoming an MP. At every stage friends he had made helped with greater and greater campaigns. His jobs stretched his abilities en route and he became used to moving things on and being an advocate for others.
Wes becoming a Labour MP was remarkable in that it bucked the national trend, he was openly gay, skint and also so young! I laughed out loud when he took his mother to the Palace of Westminster and he worried that she might bring out his baby photos to show to the staff!
At the City school Wes thought he had been prevented from being Head Prefect because of his gayness and it was an issue for some when he sought candidacy in his first general election. I would go as far as to say that this book is for anyone who has experienced prejudice.
Wes paraphrases the words of a young Muslim woman "....those of us who know what it means to experience prejudice have a special responsibility to stand with each other against all forms of hatred and bigotry". Wise words indeed. Anyone acknowledging those words, I think, is rightfully in parliament. I look forward to the next volume of Wes Streeting's life, with more great strides, hopefully within Government.
Chris Buck, August 2023
June 16, 2025
One of those rare political memoirs that’s a good read.
This is a genuinely interesting and uplifting story. Whether you share Wes Streeting’s politics or not, it’s an authentic account of growing up poor in a loving but unstable family.
This is a genuinely interesting and uplifting story. Whether you share Wes Streeting’s politics or not, it’s an authentic account of growing up poor in a loving but unstable family.
July 26, 2025
Read in a day . Political biography . Wes Streeting owes his life to a fry up . Very easy read exploring his early life childhood early interest in politics and family dynamics . So easy to read and relate to .
Wes now Health Secretary in Labour Government .
Wes now Health Secretary in Labour Government .
July 31, 2023
Brilliant book
August 7, 2023
You don’t have to agree with his political views to enjoy a very interesting story of Streeting's upbringing.
September 2, 2023
A very inspirational account of Wes' journey to be an MP, which sadly would be more unlikely to happen now the classes are even more polarized.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews