In relation to the Health and Care Bill, I have campaigned for years for more funding for the NHS. I have also continuously opposed the creeping privatisation we have seen over recent years. My urgent priority is to end NHS privatisation.
I have repeatedly called for a long-term investment plan for the NHS and social care sector, funded by increasing taxation on the very wealthiest in society.
In 2019 I stood on a manifesto pledging to end and reverse privatisation in the NHS, to repeal the Health and Social Care Act, to end the requirement on health authorities to put services out to competitive tender and to bring all services and subsidiary companies back in-house.
So, I have voted against and will continue to vote against the Health and Care Bill as it stands. I will also continue to challenge Boris Johnson on his plans to sell off our NHS to the US which will raise drugs prices and allow American companies to sue the UK if they don’t get their way.
Our NHS is an institution that we all love and respect but it will not serve us well if it is not properly funded.