Last month, he defended the Government’s handling of the military, insisting that Britain was still “the cornerstone of European defence and security”.
Defending the repeated delays to the Government’s defence investment plan, he said Downing Street was taking the time to “get it right”.
Mr Streeting is one of the most high-profile Remainers in the Cabinet and was a passionate campaigner for Britain to remain in the EU.
Last year, he strongly suggested Labour should consider taking the UK back into a customs union with Europe, saying it would boost growth.
But he did insist that the manifesto pledge not to return to freedom of movement with the Continent must stay, ruling out the single market.
“The best way for us to get more growth into our economy is a deeper trading relationship with the EU,” he told The Observer in December.
“The challenge is any economic partnership we have can’t lead to a return to freedom of movement.”
Mr Streeting has long been an advocate of closer EU ties. In 2018, while a backbencher, he rebelled against then leader Jeremy Corbyn, calling for him to commit Labour to keeping Britain in the single market and a customs union.
Mr Streeting is naturally a liberal on immigration and has repeatedly signalled his discomfort at the Government’s clampdown on visas and asylum.
He criticised Sir Keir’s “island of strangers” speech and has previously said Britain relies on migrants to care for an ageing population.
Last November, he admitted he was not comfortable with plans laid out by the Home Secretary to deport families who arrived in the UK illegally.
In a 2018 speech, Mr Streeting argued that “we rely on attracting people from overseas, particularly with our ageing population and shrinking working-age population”.
But as far back as then, the Health Secretary was stressing the point that Britain needed to increase education and training for its domestic workforce.
It is a principle he has taken into government, criticising the health service’s reliance on foreign doctors and admitting voters had “lost confidence in the immigration system”.
One of the most notable things Mr Streeting has done in his two years in post is abolishing NHS England, the world’s largest quango.
The decision came as a surprise to Westminster and demonstrated that the Health Secretary was unafraid to make significant structural changes to government.
It will also put him and his ministers back in direct control of the NHS, hinting at a hands-on approach and a willingness to take on personal responsibility.
Waiting lists have fallen on Mr Streeting’s watch and pledges to further improve the health service would be a core part of his premiership.
He has also shown himself willing to go to war with the medical unions, warning that their pay demands for junior doctors would “break the country”.
But although he has repeatedly spoken of the need to reform the NHS, any change to its funding model would be off the table under Mr Streeting.
The Health Secretary has attacked Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, for suggesting the UK should consider moving to a French-style public insurance model.