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BORIS JOHNSON’S £1.8 billion cash injection into the NHS will fall “significantly short of what’s needed,” Labour has said.
The Prime Minister announced today that almost half of the one-off payment would go to repairing 20 hospitals.
Mr Johnson said he was “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 Britain to take back control of £350m a week, with some boosting the NHS.
His appointment of Vote Leave mastermind Dominic Cummings as his chief adviser signals that promises of NHS spending will feature heavily in Mr Johnson’s first 100 days.
Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth MP said: “This announcement — even if it’s ever delivered — falls significantly short of what’s needed to provide the quality, safe care to patients after years of Tory cuts.
“Tory ministers have repeatedly cut capital investment budgets in recent years.
“These smash-and-grab raids have meant over £4 billion slashed and seen the NHS repair bill spiral to £6bn, putting patient safety seriously at risk.
“What’s more, [Health Secretary] Matt Hancock has hopelessly failed to deliver on existing Tory promises, delivering less than 3 per cent of cash supposedly earmarked for upgrades.
“This record of incompetence and cuts confirms what even Johnson’s advisers admit — Tory MPs simply don’t care about the NHS.”
Mr Ashworth was referring to remarks made by Mr Cummings in 2017 when he said: “I know a lot of Tory MPs, and I am sad to say the public is basically correct.
“Tory MPs largely do not care about these poorer people. They don’t care about the NHS.”
Research by the Labour Party released last month found that 76 hospital trusts in England had suffered “estates and infrastructure failures” in 2018/19.
These included faeces falling through the floor in an ultrasound corridor, ceiling collapse, water leaking onto a maternity landing and a broken lift that trapped two nurses inside.
