Damian Green has let the cat out the bag, the Tories are offering no new money for the NHS at this election - Jonathan Ashworth

[labourpress]

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, responding to Damian Green’s comments on the Andrew Marr Show that the Tories £8bn NHS manifesto pledge involves reallocating existing budgets, said:

“Damian Green has let the cat out the bag. The Tories are offering no new money for the NHS at this election, but instead their offer involves reallocating existing budgets. In 2015 they said they’d give the NHS £10bn and it turned out to be untrue. They’re up to the same tricks again.

“As part of Labour’s fully costed manifesto, we are offering the NHS a cash boost of £8bn this year, including money for urgently needed capital works, and we’ve said how we will pay for it. Only Labour will give the NHS the funding it needs to deliver a truly modern, 21^st Century service for Britain’s patients. Under the Tories the NHS will continue to be underfunded and overstretched and it is patients who will pay the price.”