• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
  • Contact us
  • Guest Content
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Elevenses
  • Business
  • Food
  • Travel
  • Property
  • JOBS
  • All
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Sport
    • Tech/Auto
    • Lifestyle
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Set For Life
      • Thunderball
      • EuroMillions
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Politics

Boris Johnson’s NHS cash injection ‘a drop in the ocean’

One health think tank said the sum ‘will only be a fraction’ of what is needed.

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
2019-08-04 20:19
in Politics
credit;PA

credit;PA

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

Boris Johnson’s £1.8 billion cash injection for the NHS has been widely criticised as “a drop in the ocean”.

The Prime Minister announced on Sunday that much of the one-off payment would go to repairing 20 hospitals as he pledged on his first day in office.

But experts said the sum, while desperately needed, was just a fraction of what is required to fix ailing NHS buildings across the country.

NHS spending
The sum has been criticised as ‘a drop in the ocean’ (Niall Carson/PA)

And politicians warned that his no-deal Brexit stance would jeopardise his spending ability, with Labour saying such a departure will “put lives at risk”.

Mr Johnson said he is “determined to deliver” the promises of the Brexit referendum campaign, as he announced the sum equivalent to roughly £3.5 million a week to be paid this year.

He has received continued criticism for the battle bus claim that leaving the European Union would allow the UK to take back control of £350 million a week, with some boosting the NHS.

Of the latest pledge, £850 million will go towards funding the vital upgrades to the 20 hospitals.

But Ben Gershlick, from the Health Foundation charity, said that “years of under-investment in the NHS’s infrastructure means this extra money risks being little more than a drop in the ocean”.

He warned that NHS facilities are “in major disrepair” in England, with a maintenance backlog of more than £6 billion, a figure also cited by other experts.

RelatedPosts

Nigel Farage breaks silence on new Corbyn-Sultana leftwing party

Zarah Sultana quits Labour to form new party with Jeremy Corbyn

Nigel Farage labels same sex marriage law ‘wrong’

Keir Starmer confirms Rachel Reeves will be Chancellor ‘for a very long time to come’

The chief executive at the Nuffield Trust health think tank, Nigel Edwards, said the sum “will only be a fraction of what it would cost to really upgrade 20 hospitals”.

“Nobody should expect shiny new hospitals in their towns any time soon,” he added.

In an article in The Sunday Times, Mr Johnson acknowledged his ability to spend the cash was based on the economy’s strength.

Critics pointed out that the dire warnings over the effect on finances that a no-deal Brexit would bring could jeopardise the NHS.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said no deal would be “a catastrophe” for the health service, particularly if it occurs by the October 31 deadline and ahead of the winter squeeze.

“It will put lives at risk. That is the gamble that Boris Johnson is taking this October, November. He’s playing with people’s lives,” the Labour MP said, appearing on Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth says Labour will "work to stop" a no deal Brexit, which he claims would be "disastrous" for the NHS.#Ridge

Read more here: https://t.co/ism4A08XW0 pic.twitter.com/EaqiNCfuPc

— Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge (@SkyPoliticsHub) August 4, 2019

Labour also accused the Tories of performing “smash-and-grab raids” in diverting money away from capital spending – used for equipment and repairs – in order to plug funding holes elsewhere in the NHS.

Mr Johnson has threatened a no-deal departure as part of his “do-or-die” commitment to exit the EU by the Halloween deadline.

This is despite the Government’s spending watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, warning no deal would increase borrowing by £30 billion a year and plunge the nation into recession.

Liberal Democrat health spokeswoman Baroness Jolly said Mr Johnson’s pledge “will not be worth the paper it’s written on” when a no deal hits.

Cancer Research UK policy director Emma Greenwood said the investment would go “some way to address the immense strain” the NHS is under but stressed that funding in recruitment and training is essential to meet rising demand.

Mr Johnson is expected to visit a hospital on Monday to formally announce the new funding and to identify the 20 hospitals to be upgraded.

His pledge will add to Theresa May’s £33.9 billion annual increase for the health service by 2023/24.

On Sunday, Tory party chairman James Cleverly defended the spending.

“Only Boris Johnson and the Conservatives can get our country back on the road to a brighter future – making sure people see that extra money immediately in their local hospitals and GP surgeries,” he said.

Brexit has proved that there is a magic money tree -if politicians only cared enough to find it click here

Tags: headline

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Commercial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

© The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE thelondoneconomic.com - All Rights Reserved. Privacy

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Lottery Results
    • Lotto
    • Set For Life
    • Thunderball
    • EuroMillions
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE thelondoneconomic.com - All Rights Reserved. Privacy

← Aston Villa fan Duke of Cambridge urges football fans to take care of their mental health ← Strange reason why Mahrez was left out of Manchester City squad
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Lottery Results
    • Lotto
    • Set For Life
    • Thunderball
    • EuroMillions
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE thelondoneconomic.com - All Rights Reserved. Privacy

-->