Sir Keir Starmer’s landmark decision to abolish NHS England has been met with major praise today from Conservative Party peers.
Lord Bethell, a health minister in Boris Johnson’s Government, wrote on social media: “I wish we’d had the guts to do this.”
Speaking in Hull, the Prime Minister said the management body, dubbed the “world’s largest quango” by Wes Streeting, will be abolished to “cut bureaucracy” and bring management of the health service “back into democratic control.”
Meanwhile, Tory peer Lord Kempsell wrote on social media: “The right must admit that Starmer has achieved an at least symbolic victory in abolishing NHS England – it’s easier for him to do – but at least he’s done it.
Sir Keir Starmer’s landmark decision to abolish NHS England has been met with major praise today from Conservative Party peers
PA
“They desperately need to learn from this approach – you can just abolish things.”
Though the move has been met with praise from the right, unions have been left in uproar – and are demanding pay rises.
Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: “Put simply, the health service needs thousands more staff and to be able to hold on to experienced employees. At the moment, it’s struggling to do that. Giving staff a decent pay rise would help no end.
“But this announcement will have left NHS England staff reeling. Just days ago they learned their numbers were to be slashed by half, now they discover their employer will cease to exist.”
MORE ON STARMER’S NHS ENGLAND AXE:
Wes Streeting said NHS England was the ‘world’s largest quango’
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Meanwhile on the Labour left, MP Clive Lewis said the cut was a “great start”.
“I hope we move onto massively reducing NHS private outsourcing as well. Then, how about bringing our water under ‘democratic control’ as well?” he added.
While some were quick to praise Starmer’s radical reforms, ex-Prime Minister Liz Truss has called for even more.
Writing on social media in reaction to a BBC headline reading “Starmer echoes Liz Truss on reform of government”, the libertarian former PM wrote: “A pale imitation of the real thing.
While some were quick to praise Starmer’s radical reforms, ex-Prime Minister Liz Truss has called for even more
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“The Blob doesn’t need reform – it needs dismantling.”
The move is expected to save at least £500million a year and could see the removal of half the workforce of NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care.
Starmer said earlier that the move would free up money for doctors, nurses and frontline services, and cut red tape to help speed up improvements in the health service.
And when probed by GB News on whether he would also take an Elon Musk-style chainsaw to diversity initiatives, the Prime Minister said that while the Government must use taxpayer cash “wisely”, Labour would not “slash its commitment to equality”.