LABOUR’S WES STREETING SLATES PM OVER RISE IN NHS WAITING LISTS

LABOUR’S Shadow Health Secretary has slammed the Prime Minister for failing to deliver on his promise to reduce NHS waiting lists.

He was commenting on figures showing that 330,000 more people are waiting for NHS treatment since Rishi Sunak promised to cut them.

Streeting told GB News: “Waiting lists are higher than they were when he became Prime Minister. He promised to cut NHS waiting lists.

“And you also look at the performance standards on things like A&E, ambulance response times, they are shockingly bad to the extent that people can no longer be certain that when they dial 999 with suspected a heart attack or stroke or walk into A&E that they’re going to be seen on time in the right way.

“I think by now hopefully people have reached a conclusion that the longer the Conservatives are in power, the longer patients will wait.”

In a discussion with GB News Political Editor Christopher Hope, he continued: “Labour has a proud record on the NHS, the shortest waiting times and the highest patient satisfaction on record.

“But even more importantly, when looking to the future, we’ve got a plan to get our NHS back on its feet.

“That’s two million more appointments a year to cut waiting lists, fully costed, fully funded, through to extra evening and weekend working, doubling the number of scanners so that people get diagnosed earlier, treated faster, training up thousands more GPs and cutting through red tape.

“I could go on and on and the point is that unless you have that comprehensive plan that looks at the whole system, you’re not going to get the NHS out of this terrible mess that Conservatives have put us in, and the longer they’re in power, the longer patients will wait.”

Asked about plans to use spare capacity in the private sector to reduce waiting times, he said: “I’ve been accused in recent days and weeks and months of actually wanting to privatise the NHS, but over my dead body would we privatise the NHS.

“I think one of the best things about it is that it’s a public service and when you fall ill you don’t have to worry about the bill.

“But we’ve got in the private sector, spare capacity. Those who can afford it are paying to go private. They are being seen faster and working class people who can’t afford it are being left behind.

“And so what I’d say to my critics is, you look those people in the eye and you tell them that you’re prepared to see them wait longer because of your left wing principles. I don’t think that’s right.

“I’m prepared to take on those arguments and do the right thing by patients because I came into politics to help people from working class backgrounds like mine, to make sure everyone in this country gets a fair crack, and that’s what a Labour government will do.”