Tory Frontbencher’s Attempt To Take Down Labour Over Pensioners’ Winter Turned Into Brutal Own Goal

Posted on 11/09/2024 by Boris Clair

Tory frontbencher Helen Whately accidentally attacked the Conservatives’ legacy rather than Labour’s latest policy during an TV appearance today.

Whately, currently the shadow transport secretary, attempted to take down the new government’s plan to restrict winter fuel allowance to just those on pension credit.

The controversial move means 10 million pensioners will no longer receive a payment of up to £300 to help cover their energy bills – and the Tories have repeatedly criticised Labour for it.

Whately tried to follow suit on Wednesday by saying how cold her own constituents are during the winter – even though Labour have only been in power since July.

The MP made the slip-up on BBC Politics Live, when presenter Jo Coburn seemed to unsettle Whately by asking her about the 2017 Conservative manifesto.

The Tory pledges at the time said winter fuel payments would be means-tested, and focused on the least well-off pensioners who are most at risk of fuel poverty, although the Conservatives eventually dropped the plan.

Coburn said: “It’s a little rich coming from Conservatives to say that this is the worst thing that has ever been done politically – to take the winter fuel payment away from better off pensioners.”

Whately, who was a minister in both Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson’s governments, seemed flustered by the remark, and tried to deflect by saying Labour had taken the means-testing to a very low level.

She then said: “There are 18,000 pensioners in my constituency who are losing their winter fuel allowance.

“Some of them have written to me, including one pensioner who only heats one room of their house through the winter and sleeps on their sofa because that’s in the one room that they heat in the winter.

“That pensioner is losing their winter fuel allowance.

“This is what this government is choosing to do, and to be clear it’s a choice.”

But Labour were only elected in July, after 14 years in opposition, and have not led the country through a winter yet.

Whately’s slip-up did not go unnoticed on X, of course, with many eagle-eyed viewers saying her anecdote revealed “more about life under 14 years of the Tories than it does under Labour”.

Her comments drew so much interest on the social media platform that her name even started trending.

Here’s a look at just a few of the posts calling out the former minister…

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Tory MP Helen Whately: “Some pensioners have written me incl. one who only heats 1 room of their house through the winter & sleeps on the sofa because that’s in the 1 room they heat”

Which says more about life under 14 years of the Tories than it does under Labour#PoliticsLive pic.twitter.com/wZzvNdOr6w

— David (@Zero_4) September 11, 2024

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Tory MP Helen Whately: “Some pensioners have written me incl. one who only heats 1 room of their house through the winter & sleeps on the sofa because that’s in the 1 room they heat”

Which says more about life under 14 years of the Tories than it does under Labour#PoliticsLive pic.twitter.com/wZzvNdOr6w

— David (@Zero_4) September 11, 2024

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‘…through the winter…’ says Helen Whately.
Now as much as I don’t agree with what Labour have done with this winter fuel payment, they have been in power since early July. She does realise who was in power for the previous 14 winters? She really is the idiot’s idiot https://t.co/AtAjZfaigK

— Laffs (@neillafferty) September 11, 2024

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She really is the idiot’s idiot https://t.co/AtAjZfaigK— Laffs (@neillafferty) September 11, 2024\n\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","title":"Laffs on Twitter / X","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/neillafferty/status/1833878245051162821","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"originalEdition":"uk","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"66e1b3bae4b02be061c71bfe","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/torys-attempt-to-take-down-labour-over-pensioners-backfires_uk_66e1b3bae4b02be061c71bfe","entryTagsList":"labour-party,conservative-party,helen-whately","sectionSlug":"politics","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.politics","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb","clickToPlayPlayer":"5a777b9b-81fe-41a6-8302-59e9953ee8a2","videoPagePlayer":"19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":8},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"66e1b3bae4b02be061c71bfe","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"labour party","slug":"labour-party","links":{"relativeLink":"news/labour-party","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/labour-party","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/labour-party"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Labour Party","slug":"labour-party","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/labour-party/"},{"name":"conservative party","slug":"conservative-party","links":{"relativeLink":"news/conservative-party","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/conservative-party","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/conservative-party"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Conservative Party","slug":"conservative-party","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/conservative-party/"},{"name":"Helen Whately","slug":"helen-whately","links":{"relativeLink":"news/helen-whately","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/helen-whately","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/helen-whately"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/helen-whately/"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

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‘…through the winter…’ says Helen Whately.
Now as much as I don’t agree with what Labour have done with this winter fuel payment, they have been in power since early July. She does realise who was in power for the previous 14 winters? She really is the idiot’s idiot https://t.co/AtAjZfaigK

— Laffs (@neillafferty) September 11, 2024

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Exactly, pensioners havent had a labour winter yet so she must be talking about tories

— William (@William77061827) September 11, 2024

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Exactly, pensioners havent had a labour winter yet so she must be talking about tories

— William (@William77061827) September 11, 2024

No.10 Wants Everyone Eligible To Claim Pension Credit – But That Could Present 1 Problem

Posted on 09/09/2024 by Boris Clair

Downing Street wants every person eligible to go on pension credit, even though a think tank says it would undo any savings from the changes to the winter fuel allowance.

MPs will decide whether or not to back the government’s plan of restricting winter fuel payments just to individuals on pension credit on Tuesday.

The controversial move could mean around 10 million pensioners in England and Wales end up without the payment of up to £300.

It is also estimated around 880,000 (37%) eligible pensioners do not claim pension credit right now – which is why the government is encouraging anyone who thinks they may be entitled to the benefit to apply.

The proposed cuts are expected to save around £1.4bn a year.

The government claims this will go some way towards filling the ″£22bn black hole” left by the Tories.

However, reporters pointed out that if everyone signed up to pension credit, it would actually cost the government £2bn, therefore overshadowing any savings.

As ITV’s Anushka Asthana posted on X on Monday, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has also confirmed the take-up would eliminate savings.

That counters a claims from ministers that winter fuel payments had to be cut in order to fill the “black hole” in our finances.

Yet, the spokesperson told reporters anyone eligible should apply for pension credit.

She also told reporters on Monday that the government’s efforts to boost those applying for pension credit had already had a significant result.

She said: “As a result of that work, we’ve seen a 115% increase in pension credit claims in the last five weeks compared to five weeks before – 38,500 pension credit claims, compared to 17,900.”

“This government is determined to make sure those who should be claiming pension credit are and are supporting them to do so,” she said. “We’ve seen the impact of that already.”

Asked if the prime minister was happy with this rate of progress, she said: “There is still more to do the campaign is ongoing, and there is activity from HMRC today as part of that.

“We continue to urge people to check their eligibility and support people in making those applications.”

She said that this level of effort towards increasing the applications in pension credit had not been “seen before.”

When pressed over the backlash PM Keir Starmer has faced because of the plan to restrict the winter fuel payments, the spokesperson said it was one of many “tough choices” the government have to make.

She said: “It is not a decision he wants to make, the government wants to make, but we have to fix the foundations of our economy and that means tough choices and one of those is making sure we are targeting to those who need it the most.”

Downing Street also added that there would be no softening of the impact of the policy after Home Office minister Diana Johnson “misspoke” during broadcast interviews this morning.

Johnson told BBC Breakfast: “We generally want to get energy bills down. We know over the past few years what trouble that’s caused to household budgets and the cost of living crisis, so there is a lot of work going on around that social tariff for the poorest members of our society.”

Shortly after the interview, the government said the minister had “misspoken” over this claim – and Downing Street later told journalists there would be no mitigating measures to ease the pain of the winter fuel payment restrictions.

Up to 50 Labour MPs are said to be uncomfortable with the idea of voting for the government’s plan, sparking speculation they could rebel and vote against Starmer.

It’s not clear if that could result in MPs losing the whip.

Labour suspended seven MPs just days after the party was elected when the rebels voted against the government over its two-child benefit cap.

Fresh Fury Towards Tories As Unsettling Study Uncovers Corruption ‘Red Flags’ Over Covid Contracts

Posted on 09/09/2024 by Boris Clair

The Conservatives are facing renewed public fury after a study found some of the former government’s Covid contracts, worth more than £15 billion, raised corruption “red flags”.

The report from Transparency International UK looked into more than 5,000 contracts across 400 public bodies and discovered 135 high-risk contracts were worth investigation.

Those contracts alone were worth a collective value of £15.3bn – almost one in every three pounds spent on the pandemic – and were flagged because they raised three or more concerns over corruption.

“Most of these contracts exhibited red flags across multiple areas of risk – including those associated with the supplier profile, the procurement process and the contract outcomes – and often spanning all three. Some contracts displayed as many as eight red flags,” the researchers explained.

At least 28 of those deals – worth £4.1bn, almost a tenth of the total money spent on the pandemic response – went to firms with known connections to the Conservative party, Transparency International UK claimed.

Eight contracts allegedly went to suppliers which were had been established for no more than 100 days.

The department of health and social care also wrote off £14.9bn of public money over that two-year period, according to the report. That is the same amount as the government’s overall spend on PPE (personal protective equipment).

The government allegedly used a VIP lane to give 51 contracts priority, 24 of which were referred to by Tory politicians or their offices, too.

Transparency International UK said it is now calling for authorities to investigate the high-risk contracts.

In response to the findings, a Tory spokesperson referred to a National Audit Office report from November 2020 which found ministers had properly declared their interests.

They told the Guardian: “Government policy was in no way influenced by the donations the party received – they are entirely separate.”

The new Labour government is intending to appoint a Covid corruption commissioner to look at the £7.6bn of fraud recorded during the pandemic.

A Treasury spokesperson said this will help “get back the money that is owed to the British people”.

They added: “The commissioner will report directly to the chancellor, working with the secretary of state for health and social care, and their report will be presented to parliament for all members to see.”

The survey from Transparency International UK also sparked furious backlash across X, with users calling out the supposed corruption and “pure unadulterated greed”.

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In an international crisis with people becoming seriously ill and dying, an enormous disruption to everyone’s life in many countries, those involved in this saw an opportunity to make money. Thats what strikes me as the most appalling aspect of the corruption.

— lesleyb (@Lesley_London) September 9, 2024

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In an international crisis with people becoming seriously ill and dying, an enormous disruption to everyone’s life in many countries, those involved in this saw an opportunity to make money. Thats what strikes me as the most appalling aspect of the corruption.

— lesleyb (@Lesley_London) September 9, 2024

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That would be more than enough to keep the winter fuel payment if they could recover a fraction of it.

— Andrew Hobbs (@drewster_1965) September 9, 2024

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That would be more than enough to keep the winter fuel payment if they could recover a fraction of it.

— Andrew Hobbs (@drewster_1965) September 9, 2024

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Tory Covid contracts worth £15.3bn had corruption ‘red flags’, study finds.

Almost two-thirds of all high-value Covid contracts by value lacked competition.

Way to get rich in the UK – know someone in high places.

Money unlikely ever to be recovered.https://t.co/scJNmdDoC6

— Prem Sikka (@premnsikka) September 9, 2024

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Tory Covid contracts worth £15.3bn had corruption ‘red flags’, study finds.

Almost two-thirds of all high-value Covid contracts by value lacked competition.

Way to get rich in the UK – know someone in high places.

Money unlikely ever to be recovered.https://t.co/scJNmdDoC6

— Prem Sikka (@premnsikka) September 9, 2024

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NEWS
Covid contracts of £15bn had 3 or more CORRUPTION ‘red flags’
▫️£4.1 BILLION went to those politically connected to Tory party

Plus £30.7 BILLION in high value contracts LACKED COMPETITION👀

Corruption? You tell me
Follow @TransparencyUK https://t.co/Q1JRTDhodu

— Carol Vorderman (@carolvorders) September 9, 2024

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You tell meFollow ⁦@TransparencyUK⁩ https://t.co/Q1JRTDhodu— Carol Vorderman (@carolvorders) September 9, 2024\n\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","title":"Carol Vorderman on Twitter / X","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/carolvorders/status/1833083913096343947","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"originalEdition":"uk","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"66defca3e4b01b464f3e24f4","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/fury-towards-the-tories-as-study-examines-covid-contracts_uk_66defca3e4b01b464f3e24f4","entryTagsList":"boris-johnson,conservative-party,covid","sectionSlug":"politics","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.politics","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb","clickToPlayPlayer":"5a777b9b-81fe-41a6-8302-59e9953ee8a2","videoPagePlayer":"19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":6},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"66defca3e4b01b464f3e24f4","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"boris johnson","slug":"boris-johnson","links":{"relativeLink":"news/boris-johnson","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/boris-johnson","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/boris-johnson"},"relegenceId":4161435,"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Boris Johnson","slug":"boris-johnson","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/boris-johnson/"},{"name":"conservative party","slug":"conservative-party","links":{"relativeLink":"news/conservative-party","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/conservative-party","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/conservative-party"},"relegenceId":3696340,"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Conservative Party","slug":"conservative-party","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/conservative-party/"},{"name":"covid","slug":"covid","links":{"relativeLink":"news/covid","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/covid","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/covid"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/covid/"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

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NEWS
Covid contracts of £15bn had 3 or more CORRUPTION ‘red flags’
▫️£4.1 BILLION went to those politically connected to Tory party

Plus £30.7 BILLION in high value contracts LACKED COMPETITION👀

Corruption? You tell me
Follow @TransparencyUK https://t.co/Q1JRTDhodu

— Carol Vorderman (@carolvorders) September 9, 2024

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Only the most gullible could look at the Tory Covid response and conclude anything other than the Tory Govt’s primary objective was to take as much money as possible.

Pure unadulterated greed, as their fellow civilians were dying in their thousands.https://t.co/5QZ6DMeHnW

— Dr Dan Goyal (@danielgoyal) September 9, 2024

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Only the most gullible could look at the Tory Covid response and conclude anything other than the Tory Govt’s primary objective was to take as much money as possible.

Pure unadulterated greed, as their fellow civilians were dying in their thousands.https://t.co/5QZ6DMeHnW

— Dr Dan Goyal (@danielgoyal) September 9, 2024

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Shameful corruption and waste revealed by previous UK government during Covid pandemic peak “That we find multiple red flags in more than £15bn of contacts – amounting to a third of all such spending – points to more than coincidence or incompetence.” https://t.co/KovG36qTMw

— Prof Sheena Cruickshank (she/her) (@sheencr) September 9, 2024

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Shameful corruption and waste revealed by previous UK government during Covid pandemic peak “That we find multiple red flags in more than £15bn of contacts – amounting to a third of all such spending – points to more than coincidence or incompetence.” https://t.co/KovG36qTMw

— Prof Sheena Cruickshank (she/her) (@sheencr) September 9, 2024

Wes Streeting Claims NHS Will Effectively ‘Go Bust’ If Labour Does Not Act

Posted on 08/09/2024 by Boris Clair

The health secretary Wes Streeting has claimed the NHS will effectively “go bust” unless the government takes action, and soon.

The cabinet minister’s remarks come ahead of a landmark report into the health service from Lord Darzi, a leading surgeon, commissioned by the government in July.

Darzi’s report is expected to say the NHS reduced its “routine healthcare activity by a far greater percentage than other health systems” in many key areas during the Covid pandemic – and that the service is still suffering as a result.

The crossbench peer, who was a minister in the last Labour government but who has since left the party, has also warned the NHS was “seriously weakened” by disastrous government policies over the last decade.

Speaking to LBC’s Sunday with Lewis Goodall, Streeting said: “If we do not act now to make the right long-term decisions, we will end up with the NHS effectively going bust.”

He added that Darzi’s report will show the NHS was “so badly prepared and resourced before the pandemic, we ended up cancelling more operations and appointments and procedures than any other major country”.

While he suggested that investment and reform were needed to “deliver results” within the health service, Streeting added that the NHS was “broken by the botched reforms of the previous government”.

PM Keir Starmer also told the BBC in his first major interview since getting into No.10 that the NHS had been “broken” by past governments.

“Everybody watching this who has used the NHS, or whose relatives have, knows that it’s broken. That is unforgivable, the state of our NHS,” he said.

Starmer added: “Our job now, through Lord Darzi, is properly to understand how that came about and bring about the reforms, starting with the first steps, the 40,000 extra appointments.”

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“[It is] unforgivable, the state of our NHS”

In his first major interview in Number 10 Prime Minister Keir Starmer tells the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that the Conservatives “broke\" the NHS ahead of a government review of the servicehttps://t.co/cLzMdI7zUv pic.twitter.com/L7JzRIQgD4

— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) September 7, 2024

","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"BBC Politics","author_url":"https://twitter.com/BBCPolitics","cache_age":86400,"description":"“[It is] unforgivable, the state of our NHS”In his first major interview in Number 10 Prime Minister Keir Starmer tells the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that the Conservatives “broke\" the NHS ahead of a government review of the servicehttps://t.co/cLzMdI7zUv pic.twitter.com/L7JzRIQgD4— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) September 7, 2024\n\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","title":"BBC Politics on Twitter / 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“[It is] unforgivable, the state of our NHS”

In his first major interview in Number 10 Prime Minister Keir Starmer tells the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that the Conservatives “broke” the NHS ahead of a government review of the servicehttps://t.co/cLzMdI7zUv pic.twitter.com/L7JzRIQgD4

— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) September 7, 2024

Meanwhile, shadow health secretary Victoria Atkins has denied the Tories had broken the service, instead pointing to Darzi’s findings that more than 100,000 infants were left waiting for more than six hours in A&E departments in 2023.

She told broadcasters: “Labour’s instinct is to politicise children’s health rather than provide solutions and reform our NHS.”

A Tory Party spokesman also defended their record in government, telling the Guardian: “The NHS has more doctors, more nurses, more funding in real terms and is looking after more people than ever before.”

They added that the NHS looked after millions during the pandemic, and rolled out vaccines “faster than anyone else in the world” – and set up the Public Inquiry.

They added: “It is odd that this former Labour minister and peer feels he is in a better position to opine on Covid than the Public Inquiry.”

The health spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, Daisy Cooper, said that “years and years of Conservative failure have brought the NHS to its knees” and called for “an emergency health budget from this new government.”

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