Sir Keir Starmer has said the NHS would receive “no more money without reform” during a major speech where he blamed the Conservative government for “critical failures”.
Speaking at The King’s Fund, the prime minister said he would “accept the challenge” of fixing the health service but warned it would be “measured in years, not months”.
Sir Keir declared that the “NHS must reform or die” and set out his plans for tackling long waiting lists, improving the nation’s health and shifting the focus towards community services, but warned they will not be “universally popular”.
A review from Lord Darzi found the health service is “in serious trouble” and diagnosed the problems in the NHS and sets out themes for the government to incorporate into a 10-year plan for reforming the health service.
As part of new health preventative measures, Labour pledged to completely ban junk food advertising on TV and online before 9pm.
The new rules would come into force from October 2025 in a bid to “protect children from being exposed to less healthy food and drinks”.
Key Points
- Starmer warns NHS ‘no more money without reform’
- PM warns planned NHS preventative measures ‘will be controversial’
- Streeting: ‘More public money is not answer to NHS crisis'
- Junk food ads to be banned online and on TV before 9pm
- Atkins accuses Labour of ‘political posturing’ over NHS report
VOICES: As the economy stalls on Labour, what can Rachel Reeves do about it?
16:00
Salma Ouaguira
Against City expectations, the latest GDP figures show no growth for a second month in a row – but the chancellor can’t afford for her first Budget to be a gloomy affair, says James Moore:
Pictured: Starmer and Lammy leave to Washington for Biden meeting at White House
15:56
Salma Ouaguira
Darzi NHS report: Key points from landmark review
15:45
Salma Ouaguira
A landmark report into the NHS has described the health service as “in serious trouble” as Labour vows to act on its findings. The review by Lord Darzi says honesty is needed if healthcare in the UK is to be improved, highlighting many issues.
The rapid review, completed in nine weeks, diagnoses the problems in the NHS in England and sets out themes for the government to incorporate into a 10-year plan for reforming the health service.
The study argues the NHS is facing rising demand for care as people live longer in ill health, coupled with low productivity in hospitals and poor staff morale.
Here are some key findings from the Darzi report:
Disgraced Tory donor Frank Hester gave £5m days before election called
15:35
Salma Ouaguira
Disgraced Tory donor Frank Hester gave the Conservative Party £5m just days before Rishi Sunak called the general election, it has emerged.
The Tories faced widespread calls in March to hand back money given to them by the business tycoon after he was alleged to have said that Diane Abbott – Britain’s first Black female MP – made him “want to hate all Black women” and that she “should be shot”.
Despite Mr Sunak eventually condemning the remarks as racist, newly published Electoral Commission data shows Mr Hester’s Phoenix Partnership firm donated a further £5m to the Conservatives on 17 May – just five days before Mr Sunak called the election, months earlier than widely expected.
Read the full story below:
Policing minister’s handbag stolen at police superintendents’ conference
15:19
Salma Ouaguira
Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson’s handbag was stolen while she attended a conference of senior police officers.
Dame Diana gave a speech at the annual Police Superintendents’ Conference on Tuesday setting out how the government was putting in motion plans to boost neighbourhood policing.
Warwickshire Police said it is investigating a report of the theft of a purse at a hotel on the B4115 in Kenilworth.
A statement read: “The theft occurred some time between 11.00-13.15 on Tuesday. Inquiries are ongoing.
“A 56-year-old man, from Coventry, has been arrested on suspicion of burglary and has since been released on bail while inquiries continue.”
NHS waiting lists grew rapidly in recent years
15:10
Salma Ouaguira
Democratic Unionist party urges ministers to reform NHS in devolved administrations
15:05
Salma Ouaguira
Democratic Unionist Party MP Jim Shannon (Strangford) has pressed ministers in Westminster on NHS reform and funding in the devolved administrations, including in Northern Ireland, after the Darzi report.
He told the Commons: “I appreciate that the terminology used in the report outlines the seriousness of the NHS conditions but also highlights that vital signs are still strong.
“Will the Secretary of State outline how he intends to address the fact that the NHS in devolved regions is in arguably worse condition, and will the Secretary of State further confirm that this review will incorporate Northern Ireland and ensure that findings, new practices and standards will be in place for Northern Ireland along with increased funding in a new funding formula?”
Health secretary Wes Streeting replied that he wanted to “reassure him that I’m really committed to working with ministers in all devolved administrations to work together to improve health outcomes for everyone in every part of our United Kingdom”.
Mr Streeting added: “I know that the system is particularly pressed in Northern Ireland and I’ll do whatever I can working with ministers in Northern Ireland to help with that situation and create the rising tide that lifts all ships right across the UK.”
SNP urges Labour to boost NHS funding in October Budget
14:55
Salma Ouaguira
The SNP’s Westminster leader has called on Labour to boost NHS funding in its upcoming budget in response to Lord Darzi’s damning report on problems in the health service.
Stephen Flynn said: “Lord Darzi’s report exposes the catastrophic damage that 14 years of Westminster austerity cuts, chronic underfunding and Brexit have done to the NHS.
“For more than a decade, the SNP has repeatedly warned about the damage UK government cuts and underfunding were causing our NHS. There is no escaping the fact that alongside constant modernisation, the NHS needs more money – and it needs it now if it is to deliver the best possible healthcare.
“The chancellor must deliver a major funding boost for the NHS at the UK budget, as the SNP called for during the UK general election. The simple fact is hospitals won’t build themselves – and you can’t recruit more doctors and nurses, or secure better equipment and waiting times, without adequate investment.
“As Wes Streeting has said – all roads lead back to Westminster. The UK lags behind our European neighbours on healthcare investment and staffing, and unless the Labour Government urgently delivers the funding the NHS needs it will damage healthcare in every part of the UK.”
Greens say Labour’s reform approach on NHS ‘disappointing'
14:45
Salma Ouaguira
Green party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said it was “disappointing” that Labour was “hooked on reform rather than investment” in its plans to improve the NHS.
He said in a statement: “The Darzi review pulls no punches: the NHS has been harmed by austerity, capital starvation, the disastrous 2012 Health and Social Care Act and the dire state of social care.
“It is therefore hugely disappointing to see Labour, like a string of previous Conservative and Labour governments, hooked on reform rather than investment.
“Starmer says there can be no money without reform. We say there can be no improvement to waiting times, cancer death rates, treatment for mental health – and many other struggling areas – without more money.
“We agree that we cannot ask working people to foot the bill through higher taxes. But it is fair to ask the super-rich to pay a little more through wealth taxes. This could generate billions towards the investment the NHS is crying out for.”
He said that “reform” has previously been used as a “stalking horse for privatisation”, which the Green party rejects.
“We must avoid a two-tier health service where those who can afford to go private to get treated do, while those who can’t don’t. The NHS was designed to serve all free at the point of use and this must remain its core mission.”
Starmer vows to reform NHS ‘fit for the future'
14:40
Salma Ouaguira
I’ve delivered change and reform against resistance before.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) September 12, 2024
Now, my government will reform the NHS so it’s fit for the future. pic.twitter.com/YZ4dfIwqp5
Chancellor meets top City bosses after relaxing proposed banking reforms
14:35
Salma Ouaguira
The Chancellor has met with the Bank of England governor and top bank bosses after proposed changes to the UK banking system were watered down following pressure from the City.
Rachel Reeves discussed new rules for banks and building societies that she said will bring “certainty” and “strengthen the resilience of our banking system”.
The Bank’s regulatory arm announced today that it had made significant tweaks to rules it had previously proposed after getting feedback from the industry.
The rules relate to how much capital UK banks must hold to ensure they are well equipped to handle any future crises, known as their capital requirements.
The banking system, known as Basel III, was drawn up after the 2008 financial crisis which saw major banks bailed out by the government because they did not hold enough cash to absorb losses.
Ms Reeves said: “Today marks the end of a long road after the 2008 financial crisis.
“Britain’s banks have a vital role to play in helping businesses to grow, getting infrastructure built and supporting ordinary people’s finances.
“These reforms will strengthen the resilience of our banking system and deliver the certainty banks need to finance investment and growth in the UK.”
Labour raised £10m more than Tories in three months before election
14:25
Salma Ouaguira
A £4 million donation from a hedge fund helped Labour raise £10 million more than the Conservatives in the second quarter of the year, new figures have revealed.
Data released by the Electoral Commission on Thursday showed Labour received £26.1 million in donations between April and June while the Conservatives received £16.1 million.
In total, political parties raised £51.6 million over the three months, more than double the amount raised over the same period in 2023, although the Electoral Commission’s Jackie Killeen said this was “not surprising” given it covered the election campaign.
Labour’s biggest donation came from hedge fund Quadrature Capital, which gave the party £4 million on May 28, just before the reporting period for the election began.
Other significant Labour donations included £2.5 million from Lord David Sainsbury, a long-time Labour donor, and £2.1 million from Ecotricity, the company owned by environmentalist Dale Vince.
Former Tory minister says winter fuel cuts will lead to greater pressure on bed capacity
14:18
Salma Ouaguira
A Conservative former minister has suggested that the government’s restrictions on winter fuel payments could lead to greater pressure on bed capacity this winter.
In the Commons, Dame Harriett Baldwin said: “This House famously has not seen the impact assessment of taking away the winter fuel allowance from frail 85-year-old and 90-year-olds on low incomes.
“Did Lord Darzi or the Secretary of State see the impact assessment in terms of bed capacity over the winter to come, in our NHS, as a result of this decision?”
Health secretary Wes Streeting replied: “(Dame Harriett) knows how impact assessments are done in the Treasury, she knows that impact assessments on all of the chancellor’s fiscal decisions at the Budget and spending review will be published at that time.”
He added that pensioners will still be “better off, because of this government’s commitment to maintain the triple lock, to extend the warm homes discount, and the hardships support available”.
Three-quarters of parents ‘worried about cost of child attending university’
14:15
Salma Ouaguira
Parents saving to support their child through university typically estimate they will need around £40,000, a survey has found.
But on average, they expect to have £11,000 put aside, according to the research from Aviva, released during UK Savings Week (September 9 to 15).
Some have raised the money through long-term general savings or a specific university savings pot.
Around a quarter (26 per cent) of parents plan to cut back on holidays and some plan to take out a loan themselves, the survey found.
More than three-quarters (77 per cent) of parents surveyed are worried about the costs of their child attending university, with 90 per cent indicating their child will be relying on them for financial support.
Nearly nine in 10 (89 per cent) parents with children going to university in the next three years have had a conversation about how to finance their university fees and living expenses, and half of those families (50 per cent) said they have discussed it extensively.
A quarter of parents (27 per cent) surveyed said they are preparing to cover all their child’s costs at university.
Others said income sources such as student loans, trust funds and Junior Isas and part-time student jobs will also help plug financial gaps.
Censuswide surveyed more than 1,000 parents across the UK in August, whose children are aged under 21 and planning to attend university in the next three years.
Tory MP slams salaries of NHS managers
14:11
Salma Ouaguira
A Conservative former minister has criticised the salaries of some NHS managers, with some being paid £200,000, which is “more than the Prime Minister”.
Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford) told the Commons: “The (Mid and South Essex Hospital Trust) are now trying to appoint three permanent managing directors to each hospital to provide stability, which makes sense, but they’re offering a salary of £200,000 for each post, which is more than the Prime Minister earns to run the country.
“So, now that it’s on his watch, will the Secretary of State take a personal interest in this? We should pay a good rate for that job, but £200,000 sends all the wrong signals to all the other very hardworking people in the trust.”
Health secretary Wes Streeting replied: “I think we do have to keep a sharp eye on value for money, I think Darzi presents some – if I can put it this way – politically challenging messages around NHS management, because I could be wildly popular with the country if I stood up and said I’m going to take the axe to management across the country and sack loads of managers.
“What we need is better management and a sharp eye on value for money. The NHS would not work without good leadership, we’ve got to make sure we’ve got the right people in the right place and delivering against the public’s expectation. So, it’s a more nuanced position.”
More than half of suspected cancer patients diagnosed within 28 days
14:00
Salma Ouaguira
Some 76.2 per cent of patients in England urgently referred for suspected cancer in July were diagnosed or had cancer ruled out within 28 days.
This is down very slightly from 76.3 per cent the previous month but is above the target of 75 per cent.
It is only the fifth time the target has been exceeded since it was introduced in autumn 2021.
GPs in England made 286,720 urgent cancer referrals in July, up from 259,681 in June and also up year on year from 263,897 in July 2023.
PM committed to building 40 new hospitals
13:45
Salma Ouaguira
Sir Keir Starmer said he was still committed to building 40 new hospitals despite Chancellor Rachel Reeves saying they would not be completed by 2030.
Ms Reeves said the previous government had made the commitment “without anywhere close to the funding required”.
Asked whether Labour was still committed to delivering all 40 new hospitals, the Prime Minister said: “Yes, we are.”
He said the last government’s “programme was undeliverable” and “this is exactly what’s wrong with politics”.
He added: “We reviewed it, we will deliver against it, but I want a realistic timetable of delivery so I can look people in the eye and tell them we are going to do it, and this is how we’re going to do it, not just make a promise which is unbelievable in the true sense of the word.”
Former Tory minister says he was quoted £100,000 for Lucy Letby court transcript
13:30
Salma Ouaguira
A Tory former minister probing the case of killer nurse Lucy Letby has complained after he was quoted £100,000 to obtain a transcript of her trial.
Sir David Davis said he was given the figure after contacting Manchester Crown Court to get a copy of the transcript from the trial in 2022 and 2023.
He said it was eventually reduced to £9,000 but insisted such documents should be freely available to parliamentarians.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle described the £100,000 quote as an “outrageous amount” and warned against MPs being prohibited from carrying out their duties.
Letby, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016.
Sir David has been raising questions about the case in recent months.
In May, he asked why an article published by the New Yorker magazine that questioned the evidence used in the trial that convicted her, was blocked by a court order and unable to be read in the UK.
He told the Commons: “Transparency in justice is vitally important, and to that end, members of this House should be freely able to see exactly what happens in any trial in this country. Yet when I tried to obtain a transcript of the Lucy Letby trial from Manchester Crown Court, I was told it would cost me £100,000.”
Tory health reforms under David Cameron ‘totally misconceived’, says Starmer
13:15
Salma Ouaguira
A former Tory health secretary’s reforms to the NHS were “totally misconceived, totally done from the top down” with “no real sense of where they were going,” Sir Keir Starmer said.
Asked at a press conference following the publication of the Darzi report about the reorganisation of the health service by David Cameron-era minister Andrew Lansley, the prime minister said: “Where to start? Totally misconceived, totally done from the top down, and no real sense of where they were going.
“I think they were stripping the money out of the NHS and pretended that these top-down reforms were somehow going to make up. We’re not going to make that mistake.”
He said the required reforms would take a decade to do properly but insisted people would be able to “see the results as we go along, make the improvements as we go along, and that will be very uplifting”.
Museums and galleries facing worst financial situation in 25 years, MSPs told
13:00
Salma Ouaguira
The financial situation faced by museums and galleries is the worst it has been in at least 25 years, MSPs have been told.
There are particular concerns for Scotland’s industrial museums being at risk of financial collapse due to rising costs and uncertain funding.
Holyrood’s Culture Committee today heard from a number of organisations which run museums and galleries as part of its pre-budget scrutiny.
Lucy Casot is chief executive of Museums Galleries Scotland, the national development body for 432 institutions around the country.
She highlighted a survey of institutions which found 11 per cent of respondents felt their organisation was at risk of closure in the next 12 months.
Ms Casot said: “That’s quite a frightening figure, it’s certainly the worst I have seen in 25 years working in the sector.”
Written evidence supplied to the committee noted there is no way for museums and galleries to apply for core funding to support their running costs, unlike in England where money is available through DCMS.
Museums Galleries Scotland said: “There are serious concerns over the financial stability of several of our industrial museums, sites and collections that tell the story of Scotland’s industrial and social development, where the scale of collections and buildings presents a particular challenge of rising costs.”
Lib Dems claim Labour’s failure to have plan for social care is ‘elephant in the room'
12:58
Salma Ouaguira
Daisy Cooper has warned the NHS cannot be reformed with out taking into account the social care sector.
The Lib Dems’ health and social care spokesperson told the Commons: “The damage that the former Conservative government has caused to our NHS & social care system is unforgivable and today’s Darzi report is a scathing and sobering reminder of this.
“The Liberal Democrats have long called for reform - moving health care from hospitals to home, and from treatment to prevention.
“Moreover, the elephant in the room is that we cannot reform our NHS without reforming social care, and the Liberal Democrats will continue to push the government to take up our plans to fix not just our NHS but the social care system too.”
In response, Wes Streeting said: “Let me say, and it was clear throughout the election campaign actually, that my party and Liberal Democrats have much in common, both in terms of the commitment we made, which were in some cases identical, and also the shared areas of emphasis, the link between health and wealth, the importance on prevention and the importance of social care.”
Victoria Atkins denies claims the Tories misrepresented NHS issues
12:55
Salma Ouaguira
The shadow health secretary claimed the Conservative party had not tried to misrepresent problems facing the NHS.
Responding to Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s statement on the Darzi report, she said: “We on this side of the house have never pretended that everything was fixed, we haven’t pretended that we have the monopoly on wisdom, or that there are easy answers to difficult challenges we face.
“For the NHS to thrive in its next 75 years it needs to reform, modernise and improve productivity.
“This is why the Conservative government working with NHS England announced the NHS productivity plan at spring budget to transform how the NHS works, through better IT systems for frontline staff, expansion for services on the NHS app, which is used by three-quarters of adults today in England, and the use of new technology, including voice-activated AI.
“Together, this would see productivity grow by two per cent a year by the end of the decade and unlock £35 billion of savings.”
Tories accuse PM of leading ‘Government of secrecy’ amid winter fuel cut row
12:51
Salma Ouaguira
Sir Keir Starmer was accused of leading a “government of secrecy” over his failure to reveal estimates on potential pensioner deaths linked to winter fuel payment cuts.
Shadow Commons leader Chris Philp said millions of pensioners are “sick with worry” after Parliament gave the go-ahead to restrict the payments to those people in England and Wales in receipt of pension credit or other means-tested benefits.
Prime minister Sir Keir and his ministers have been criticised for not publishing an impact assessment on the policy, which will reduce the number of pensioners in receipt of the up to £300 payment by 10 million, from 11.4 million to 1.5 million.
Labour has argued the move to save more than £1 billion this year is required to help respond to a “£22 billion black hole” in the public finances left by the previous Tory administration.
Speaking at business questions, Mr Philp said: “I now join the leader of the opposition Rishi Sunak in urgently calling on the government to publish the impact assessment.
“The Prime Minister said on July 8, in a speech to the civil service, that his Government would be ‘open and transparent’. So where is the openness and transparency here?
“The only impact assessment we’ve seen is the Labour Party’s own impact assessment suggesting the policy would cause 3,850 deaths.”
What does the Lord Dazi NHS report say in a nutshell?
12:46
Salma Ouaguira
A review by respected surgeon Lord Darzi found widespread issues across the health service, with stark figures published on how long people wait for care.
He pointed out that thousands of lives are lost or put at risk because people cannot get the care they need – or wait too long – in hospitals, while thousands more struggle to access GP appointments.
Lord Darzi dismissed the idea of moving the NHS to one based on insurance payments, and instead said England needed the NHS, but it needed reform.
His recipe for change includes channelling cash into primary care, such as GP services and community care, and preventing people getting ill to reduce the burden on services.
Government urged to review convictions appeals process as ‘system not working’
12:45
Salma Ouaguira
The Solicitor General has faced calls to review the appeal process for criminal convictions, amid warnings that current procedures are not working.
Labour MP Andy Slaughter, the newly-elected Justice select committee chairman, highlighted the case of Oliver Campbell, who had his 1991 conviction for murdering a shopkeeper in London quashed this week by the Court of Appeal.
Mr Campbell, who has learning difficulties, was jailed for life for the murder of Baldev Hoondle in July 1990.
Three judges at the Court of Appeal ruled on Wednesday that the conviction was “unsafe”.
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Slaughter told Solicitor General Sarah Sackman: “The Government is pledged to undertake a review of sentencing generally.
“I wonder if I can tempt the Solicitor General to support a review of wider aspects of the criminal justice system that don’t seem to be working, in particular the role of the Criminal Cases Review Commission and indeed the CPS in dealing with potential miscarriages of justice?
“This week, Oliver Campbell’s sentence of murder was quashed by the Court of Appeal as unsafe. The Criminal Cases Review Commission was asked to look at that case in 2005, the CPS resisted the appeal and asked for a retrial after 33 years.”
Tory MP calls for crackdown on shisha lounges
12:42
Salma Ouaguira
Shisha lounges should be clamped down on, as part of legislation to reduce smoking and the use of vapes, a Tory MP has said.
Bob Blackman said failing to include shisha lounges and chewing tobacco, such as paan, in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill would leave “escape clauses”.
In July’s King’s Speech, the Labour government revived plans to introduce the Bill, originally put forward by the Conservatives.
The Bill proposes progressively increasing the age at which people can buy tobacco, preventing anyone born after January 2009 being legally able to do so.
It also aims to curb the attraction of vaping for children and young people, such as restricting the flavours, packaging and display of e-cigarettes.
At business questions today, Mr Blackman (Harrow East) said: “(Lucy Powell) hasn’t announced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill coming back.
“During the committee stage, I and many members on the other side proposed amendments to the then-government’s Bill, which we would want to progress, I realise that will be considered by the Health Secretary.
“Will she also take back the view that shisha lounges and the sale of paan need to be part of the regulation that we take forward?”
Mr Blackman added that “otherwise we’re going to leave escape clauses” which could lead to “mouth, throat and lung cancer”.
Commons Leader Lucy Powell replied: “He will know on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill that we announced that we would take forward that Bill in our King’s Speech, it will be coming forward to this House in due course.”
Covid-19 effect to the NHS was a ‘match that burnt the house down’, says minister
12:35
Salma Ouaguira
Health secretary Wes Streeting said the pandemic left lasting damage to the NHS, and compared Covid-19 to a “match (that) burnt the house down”.
Mr Streeting said: “Everyone can see the lasting damage caused by the pandemic, but until now we didn’t know that pandemic hit the NHS harder than any other comparable healthcare system in the world.
“The NHS cancelled far more operations and routine care than anywhere else. As Lord Darzi writes: ‘The pandemic’s impact was magnified because the NHS had been seriously weakened in the decade preceding it.
“In other words it’s not just that the Conservatives didn’t fix the roof while the sun was shining. They doused the house in petrol, left the gas on, and Covid just lit the match. That’s why waiting lists have ballooned to 7.6 million long today.”
Victoria Atkins accuses Labour of ‘political posturing’ over NHS report
12:25
Salma Ouaguira
The shadow health secretary has accused Labour of “political posturing” over Sir Keir Starmer’s claims that the Tories broke the NHS.
The Tory MP told the Commons: “The NHS belongs to us all and we all care about it. So let’s stop the political posturing and talk constructively about its future.
“We all know that our healthcare system faces significant pressures, as do all health systems around the world. I believe there is much to be proud of in the NHS, we on this side of the House have never pretended that everything was fixed, we haven’t pretended that we have the monopoly on wisdom or that there are easy answers to the difficult challenges we face.
“For the NHS to thrive in its next 75 years it needs to reform, modernise and improve productivity.”
In response, Wes Streeting blasted: “The first word the shadow secretary of state for health and social care should have said was sorry.
“She said she never pretended everything was fixed and that is true but it is about time she admits that it was their party that broke the NHS in the first place.”
Minister supports calls to address issue of gender bias in English literature
12:20
Salma Ouaguira
A minister has supported calls to address the issue of gender bias in English literature, after MPs were told that just two per cent of pupils studied a female author at GCSE.
Commons Leader Lucy Powell said more young people should be studying female authors to understand women’s contribution to the “progress of society”.
She added that gender bias would be part of the government’s focus in the curriculum review, which was launched by the Department for Education (DfE) in July.
The Curriculum and Assessment Review aims to create a “broader, richer, cutting-edge curriculum” that will represent children and their families, the government has said.
Streeting: NHS would not be in the mess it finds itself if billions had not been wasted
12:11
Salma Ouaguira
Health secretary Wes Streeting claimed “the NHS would not be in the mess it finds itself today” if billions of pounds had not been “wasted on dissolving and reconstituting management structures”.
In his Commons statement, Mr Streeting referenced a part of the report about the Health and Social Care Act 2012, which Lord Darzi described as “a calamity without international investigation”, adding: “It has taken more than 10 years to get back to a sensible structure. And management capability is still behind where it was in 2011.”
Mr Streeting told MPs: “Just imagine if all the time, effort and billions of pounds wasted on dissolving and reconstituting management structures had instead been invested in services for patients.
“Clearly, the NHS would not be in the mess it finds itself today.”
Average response time for ambulances down from eight minutes
12:06
Salma Ouaguira
The average response time in August for ambulances in England dealing with the most urgent incidents, defined as calls from people with life-threatening illnesses or injuries, was eight minutes and three seconds.
This is down slightly from eight minutes and 15 seconds in July and is the shortest time since June 2021, but is above the target standard response time of seven minutes.
Ambulances took an average of 27 minutes and 25 seconds last month to respond to emergency calls such as heart attacks, strokes and sepsis.
This is down from 33 minutes and 25 seconds in July and is the shortest time since May 2021, while the target is 18 minutes.
Response times for urgent calls, such as late stages of labour, non-severe burns and diabetes, averaged one hour, 30 minutes and 33 seconds in August, down from two hours, one minute and 21 seconds in July and the shortest time since January 2023.
Streeting: Lord Darzi report shows sickness in society
12:06
Salma Ouaguira
Summarising the Darzi report for MPs in a House of Commons statement, the Health Secretary pointed to a paragraph in the document which referenced a mouse and cockroach infestation in one mental health unit.
Wes Streeting told MPs: “The NHS has not been able to meet its promises to treat patients on time for almost a decade. Patients have never been more dissatisfied with the service they receive.
“Waiting lists for mental health and community services have surged. Fifty years of progress on cardiovasular disease is going into reverse. Cancer is more likely to be a death sentence for NHS patients than patients in other countries.
“It’s not just the sickness in the NHS that concerns Lord Darzi, but sickness in society. Children are sicker today than a decade ago and adults are falling into ill health earlier in life. It’s piling pressure onto our NHS and holding back our economy. Those are some of the symptoms.
“The report is equally damning on the causes. First, a decade of underinvestment which left the NHS 15 years behind the private sector on technology, with fewer diagnostic scanners per patient than almost every comparable country including Belgium, Italy and Greece. And mental health patients treated in Victorian buildings with cockroach and mice infestations where 17 men were forced to share two showers in 2024.”
Some MPs responded with shouts of “shocking” and “shame”.
The Darzi report is ‘raw, honest and breathtaking’, Wes Streeting says
11:58
Salma Ouaguira
The health secretary told the Commons: “Unlike the last holders of this office, this Government will be honest about the problems the NHS faces and serious about fixing them.
“That’s why I asked Lord Darzi, an eminent cancer surgeon who served both Labour and Conservative-led governments with distinction, to conduct an independent investigation into the state of our National Health Service.
“I’m sure the whole House will want to join me in thanking him for producing this expert, comprehensive report, a copy of which I have placed in the library of both Houses.
“I told Lord Darzi we wanted hard truths, warts and all. His findings are raw, honest and breathtaking.”
Lunch recap: Key takeaways from Keir Starmer’s NHS speech
11:57
Salma Ouaguira
The pirme minister has delivered a major speech addressing the findings of the Lord Darzi report on the state of the NHS.
Here are the key takeaways from his address:
- Sir Keir Starmer has branded the state of the NHS “devastating” and admitted people have a right to be angry about it.
- The prime minister said the NHS would receive “no more money without reform”.
- He said he would “accept the challenge” of fixing the NHS but warned it would be “measured in years, not months”.
- The PM outlined a 10-year-plan to reform the health service with three big shifts including digitising the service, shifting from hospital care to community care and moving from sickness to preventative care.
Tories received £50,000 donation from business linked to convicted billionaire
11:40
Salma Ouaguira
The Conservatives received £50,000 in the dying days of the election campaign from a company linked to a billionaire who is fighting a court battle over allegations of exploiting his domestic staff, Electoral Commission figures show.
Figures published on Monday show Westminster Development Services, a consortium responsible for redeveloping the Old War Office on Whitehall into a Raffles hotel, made the donation to the Tories on 1 July.
According to Companies House, Westminster Development Services is up to 50% owned by AMC Project Services, which itself lists Prakash Hinduja, the chairman of the Hinduja Group and one of Britain’s richest men, as its owner.
Some 10 days earlier, on 21 June, Hinduja and three members of his family had been handed prison sentences after they were convicted by a Swiss court of exploiting domestic workers at their mansion in Geneva.
Hinduja and his wife Kamal received sentences of four years and six months, while their son Ajay and his wife Namrata were each sentenced to four years. None of the four were in court.
The court said the four were guilty of exploiting workers and providing unauthorised employment, but dismissed more serious charges of human trafficking.
The defendants deny all of the allegations and are appealing against the verdict, which the family’s lawyers said meant under Swiss law the sentences are without effect and are unenforceable.
A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “Donations to the Conservative Party are properly and transparently declared to the Electoral Commission, openly published by them, and comply fully with the law.”
Pictured: Theresa May formally takes her seat as Baroness in the House of Lords
11:39
Salma Ouaguira
Junk food ads to be banned online and on TV before 9pm
11:36
Salma Ouaguira
Health minister Andrew Gwynne has revealed plans to crackdown on junk food advertising on TV and online.
Labour plans to introduce the measure from October 2025 which would prevent the ads from being televised before 9pm “without further delay”.
In a Written Ministerial Statement, Mr Gwynne said: “We will introduce a 9pm watershed on TV advertising, and a total ban on paid-for online advertising.
“These restrictions will help protect children from being exposed to advertising of less healthy food and drinks, which evidence shows influences their dietary preferences from a young age.
“Our proposal is to make clear in the regulations that IPTV services regulated by Ofcom will be subject to the broadcast 9pm watershed in the same way as other TV and Ofcom-regulated on-demand programme services.
“This requires clarification within the secondary legislation and, in line with our statutory duty to consult, we are launching a targeted consultation which is open for four weeks from today.”
Poll: People believe NHS will get worse but optimism rises under Labour
11:33
Salma Ouaguira
Public expectations for the future of the NHS remain gloomy, although they have ticked up since the election was called
— YouGov (@YouGov) September 12, 2024
Will get better: 30% (+11 from 13 May)
Will get worse: 40% (-12)
Will stay same: 22% (=)https://t.co/N7hGGxYuSQ pic.twitter.com/AFOP4kQgZ8
Steeve Reed declines to commit to farmer funding before Budget
11:26
Salma Ouaguira
Environment ministers have declined to say whether farmers will lose out on £130 million of funding which the previous government failed to spend in 2023/24.
At the Commons despatch box, Environment Secretary Steve Reed said he “would be in deep trouble with the Chancellor of the Exchequer” if he unveils his department’s budget plans before 30 October.
Also taking questions about sewage spills, the Labour minister accused the previous Conservative government of a “cover up” over the volume of wastewater entering rivers and seas.
“My intention is to fight the corner for farmers through the spending review process so we can make sure they receive the resources they deserve,” Mr Reed told MPs.
He earlier said: “I can’t make comments about the budget in advance.
“I would be in deep trouble with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, something I wish to avoid, but at the appropriate time we will make absolutely clear what we intend to do.
Environment secretary accuses Tories of ‘covering up’ scale of sewage spills
11:20