Streeting vows Budget will put NHS staff ‘on front line, not the picket line’

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has pledged that winter 2024 will be the first “in three years where NHS staff are on the front line, not the picket line”.

Mr Streeting also vowed Labour would rebuild hospitals, but was questioned about how increases to employers’ national insurance contributions would affect GP surgeries and social care providers.

In the Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced what she called the biggest real-terms increase in day-to-day NHS spending since 2010 – outside the Covid pandemic – providing £22.6 billion for the health service along with another £3.1 billion of capital investment.

In September, junior doctors in England voted to accept a Government pay deal worth 22.3% on average over two years, bringing their long-running dispute to an end.

On the fourth day of the Budget debate in the Commons, Mr Streeting said the previous government had “no funding” put aside to end junior doctors’ strikes despite 18 months of action.

He said: “What’s more, the previous health secretary hadn’t met the resident doctors since March. They’d given up even attempting to end the strikes.

“Remember that this winter – for all the challenges the NHS will face – this will be the first winter in three years where NHS staff are on the front line, not the picket line.

“That’s the difference a Labour Budget makes.

“I was told that GPs would be qualifying this year with no jobs to go into. This Government found the funding and we’re hiring an extra 1,000 GPs this year.”

The Health Secretary further committed to rebuilding hospitals affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) as he said the only place the Tory pledge for 40 new hospitals existed was “in Boris Johnson’s imagination”.

Asked by James Wild, Conservative MP for North West Norfolk, about Budget plans to “swiftly” rebuild hospitals impacted by Raac, Mr Streeting replied: “That is a commitment that we will make, and we have made indeed, and a commitment we will keep.”

In his first exchange with new shadow health secretary Edward Argar, Mr Streeting criticised the newly elected Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who he claimed is “trapped in the prison of ideological dogma”.

He told MPs: “It was a Conservative chancellor who introduced the sugar tax, and a Conservative prime minister who introduced the first Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

“Because (Mr Argar) is sensible, I know the shadow health and social care secretary will support those measures, but I can’t say the same for the leader of the Opposition.

“So trapped in the prison of ideological dogma is she, so scared is she of the Reform dog that’s barking over their shoulders.

“So I hope the shadow health secretary will continue to hold the torch for One Nation Conservatism, even as its light dims in his party.”

Mr Argar responded: “I would only say, very, very gently, I think she should probably take that as a compliment. Because when (Mr Streeting) attacks someone in that way, it probably means they’re somewhat frit of her.

“And I think he will see in the coming weeks and months why that is so.”

The shadow health secretary said the rise in employer national insurance contributions is “ill thought out” and will hit GP surgeries, hospices, and social care providers.

He said: “The Royal College of GPs has warned that the extra cost of the national insurance hike could see GP surgeries forced to make redundancies or close their practice all together, and the Independent Pharmacies Association warned that community pharmacies will have to find an extra £12,000 a year on average.”

Earlier in the debate, former GP and Conservative MP Dr Luke Evans (Hinckley and Bosworth) said: “In the Budget, both GPs, hospices and care homes have been found to either not be exempt or be exempt on the Nics (national insurance) contributions.

“Would he clarify that point for hospices, care homes and primary care – are they exempt or not because that really matters to their costs?”

Mr Streeting replied: “I’m well aware of the pressures. We haven’t made allocations for the year ahead and I’ll take those representations seriously.”

Conservative former minister Esther McVey said the Government had introduced a “smash and grab” Budget that is “anti-business, anti-farmer, anti-aspiration, anti-wealth creation and anti-worker”.

She told MPs: “Make no mistake, this Budget will be catastrophic for the economic health of this country.

“It is the biggest tax-rising Budget in British history, and it will turn out to be the longest suicide note in Labour’s political history too.

“The Budget is socialism at its worst, high taxes, high spending and massive debt. (Labour MPs) are laughing, but this is massive debt for future generations to come.”