Letter: The Budget: NHS and the less well-off pay for past economic mistakes
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: After taking inflation into account, Kenneth Clarke's Budget increased spending on the NHS by 0.9 per cent or pounds 263m, but the estimated health costs of our ageing population and of scientific and technological advances accounts for pounds 438m. So the NHS is pounds 175m worse off after the Budget.
The underfunding of the NHS in the 1980s compared with our EC neighbours amounted to over pounds 40bn. There was nothing in the Budget that even began to address this shortfall. The Government's determination to encourage private health while it runs down the NHS was reflected in the exclusion of private health insurance from the 3 per cent premium it will charge on other forms of insurance.
The 50p VAT compensation package was exactly half what was needed to keep the old warm and healthy. The average household bill for fuel will rise by pounds 1 a week with VAT at 8 per cent, and pounds 2 at 17.5 per cent. With 2,510,441
homes now having electricity meters (a staggering 42 per cent increase since privatisation), I am concerned that there will be self-disconnection on a hitherto unknown scale, which will worsen our already appalling record on winter deaths and place even more demands on our underfunded health service.
Meanwhile the staff working in the NHS can look forward to a different freeze - one on their pay.
Yours faithfully,
DAWN PRIMAROLO
MP for Bristol South (Lab)
House of Commons
London, SW1
1 December
The writer is Shadow Minister of Health.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments