Starmer Set to Go “Further Than Blair” on Privatisation
In their latest pivot to Tory policies, the Labour Party have vowed to follow in the footsteps of Tony Blair’s government when it comes to NHS privatisation. Most worryingly of all, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary has said he would go “further” than Blair’s NHS privatisation policies.
Writing in the Telegraph, the Labour Party Health spokesperson said “we will go further than New Labour ever did. I want the NHS to form partnerships with the private sector that goes beyond just hospitals”. This after having previously admitted he will be “holding the door wide open” to private interests in the NHS, with private healthcare investors stating the Labour Party would “kick-start private sector investment much more proactively than the Tories were able to do”.
His article follows separate comments earlier this week, when Wes Streeting said he “won’t give in” to doctors’ unions on fair pay, and admitted Westminster is damaging Scotland’s NHS stating “all roads lead back to Westminster” and “the NHS is in crisis and all decisions that are taken in Westminster don’t just affect England – but Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland”.
With the Labour Party imitating the Tories’ austerity cuts, Brexit policies, and creeping NHS privatisation, it’s abundantly clear that only a vote for the SNP can safeguard the vital role of the NHS in society and prioritise Scotland’s interests.
By opening the NHS to private sector interests and implementing Tory spending cuts that could potentially cut up to £30 billion from public services, the Labour Party is threatening to endanger Scotland’s NHS at a critical time when investment and protection are most crucial. As Wes Streeting admits, “Westminster policies are actively harming Scotland’s NHS”.
Scotland is still living with the bruising legacy of PFI in Scotland – paying off a £30 billion bill handed down to Scottish tax payers.
In stark contrast, the SNP will always prioritise the NHS and defend its founding values. NHS funding has more than doubled under the SNP government and NHS staffing is at a record high – with far more doctors and nurses per head in Scotland than in England.
The SNP has ensured that unlike the rest of the UK, Scotland’s NHS is free from pay-related strikes.
On July 4th, vote SNP to protect our NHS, reject Westminster austerity cuts and deliver a future made in Scotland, for Scotland.
