Nick Clegg angers Tories with new delay to NHS reforms
Conservatives furious as Liberal Democrat leader says it will take at least six months to go through the bill for a second time A full-scale row erupted at the highest levels of the coalition after Nick Clegg bounced Downing Street and the Department of Health by announcing that the government’s troubled NHS reforms would be delayed by at least six months. As Conservatives backbenchers indicated that they were spoiling for a fight, by laying down a series of “red lines” over the NHS, Tory sources indicated that Clegg had caught them on the hop when he demanded a delay. The deputy prime minister’s unilateral announcement that the two month-long line-by-line committee stage examination of the health and social care bill should be repeated prompted accusations that he was “freelancing”. Nick de Bois, the MP for Enfield North, who set out the “red lines” in an email to fellow MPs leaked to the Guardian, said: “These are premature and inappropriate comments. We are still in the listening exercise. Our coalition partners have had the loudest voices in this debate and I am keen that the Conservative backbenchers have their voice heard so we can highlight our red lines that come from our manifesto.” Senior Lib Dems indicated they believed they had the upper hand. One source said: “The Tories are flustered. Nick has played the politics of this rather shrewdly. If there are going to be substantive changes who can argue with the idea of giving MPs a chance to scrutinise? It will delay the bill by at least a few months.” Clegg told patients and medical professionals at University College London hospital that it would be wrong to force the bill through parliament after the government’s “listening exercise” on the NHS proposals ends next month. “I don’t think it would be right for us to hold this listening exercise – to make big changes to the legislation – and then to seek to bounce it through parliament,” he said. “It is very important that MPs, who represent millions of patients up and down the country, have the opportunity to really look at the details that we are proposing. “I think we will need to send the bill back to committee. I have always said that it is best to take our time to get it right rather than move too fast and risk getting the details wrong.” The deputy prime minister surprised Tory ministers because his remarks were made to the Guardian in a question-and-answer session after a speech in which he buried Andrew Lansley’s 2013 target for the changes by rejecting “arbitrary deadlines”. The speech had been agreed with Downing Street and the Department of Health, which had not approved any mention of sending the bill back to the committee stage. It is understood that Lansley, the health secretary, and David Cameron accept the bill will have to repeat at least some of its committee stage because major amendments will be tabled when the government responds to the Future Forum’s report after the “listening exercise”. But health ministers are expected to say that only parts of the bill need to be reconsidered in this way to ensure that it can complete all its Commons stages by the summer recess. The Lib Dems disagree and say the bill is unlikely to complete its Commons stages by the end of July, raising the prospect that it may not reach the Lords until after the party conference season in the autumn. Clegg indicated after his speech that he favoured a slow pace when he said: “We will introduce substantive, big changes. My desire – I think everyone’s desire – is just to get it right. The NHS is simply too precious, too important to millions of people in this country to rush things and get it wrong.” De Bois made clear that the Tories were determined to preserve key elements of Lansley’s original blueprint. The “red lines” identified by De Bois directly clashed with Clegg over: • The new GP-led commissioning consortiums, which are meant to take control of 65% of the NHS budget. The Tory MP said GPs must take charge of commissioning. Clegg wants to open up membership of the new consortiums. • Lansley’s original 2013 deadline, which Clegg dismissed as “arbitrary”. De Bois said: “Contrary to what is being said in public by others, this is a very reasonable period of time.” • Patients should be able to be “treated at any qualified provider”. Clegg said there would be “no sudden, top-down opening up of all NHS services to any qualified provider”. • Monitor, the health regulator, must be retained to promote patient choice. Clegg said Monitor should be retained but must not “push competition”. De Bois said: “The Conservative party manifesto – on which we were all elected – does the job of setting out some key red lines from which we should not retreat … I am determined that we reclaim the debate over the future of the National Health Service from those who seek to use the bill as a political tool.” John Healey, the shadow health secretary, who tabled a motion on Wednesday calling for the bill to repeat its committee stage, said: “The differences between Clegg and Lansley confirm this is a divided not coalition government. Those divisions are adding more confusion and uncertainty for NHS staff and patients waiting for David Cameron to decide what changes he will make to his NHS plans.” Nick Clegg Conservatives NHS Health Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
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Nick Clegg angers Tories with new delay to NHS reforms
Conservatives furious as Liberal Democrat leader says it will take at least six months to go through the bill for a second time A full-scale row erupted at the highest levels of the coalition after Nick Clegg bounced Downing Street and the Department of Health by announcing that the government’s troubled NHS reforms would be delayed by at least six months. As Conservatives backbenchers indicated that they were spoiling for a fight, by laying down a series of “red lines” over the NHS, Tory sources indicated that Clegg had caught them on the hop when he demanded a delay. The deputy prime minister’s unilateral announcement that the two month-long line-by-line committee stage examination of the health and social care bill should be repeated prompted accusations that he was “freelancing”. Nick de Bois, the MP for Enfield North, who set out the “red lines” in an email to fellow MPs leaked to the Guardian, said: “These are premature and inappropriate comments. We are still in the listening exercise. Our coalition partners have had the loudest voices in this debate and I am keen that the Conservative backbenchers have their voice heard so we can highlight our red lines that come from our manifesto.” Senior Lib Dems indicated they believed they had the upper hand. One source said: “The Tories are flustered. Nick has played the politics of this rather shrewdly. If there are going to be substantive changes who can argue with the idea of giving MPs a chance to scrutinise? It will delay the bill by at least a few months.” Clegg told patients and medical professionals at University College London hospital that it would be wrong to force the bill through parliament after the government’s “listening exercise” on the NHS proposals ends next month. “I don’t think it would be right for us to hold this listening exercise – to make big changes to the legislation – and then to seek to bounce it through parliament,” he said. “It is very important that MPs, who represent millions of patients up and down the country, have the opportunity to really look at the details that we are proposing. “I think we will need to send the bill back to committee. I have always said that it is best to take our time to get it right rather than move too fast and risk getting the details wrong.” The deputy prime minister surprised Tory ministers because his remarks were made to the Guardian in a question-and-answer session after a speech in which he buried Andrew Lansley’s 2013 target for the changes by rejecting “arbitrary deadlines”. The speech had been agreed with Downing Street and the Department of Health, which had not approved any mention of sending the bill back to the committee stage. It is understood that Lansley, the health secretary, and David Cameron accept the bill will have to repeat at least some of its committee stage because major amendments will be tabled when the government responds to the Future Forum’s report after the “listening exercise”. But health ministers are expected to say that only parts of the bill need to be reconsidered in this way to ensure that it can complete all its Commons stages by the summer recess. The Lib Dems disagree and say the bill is unlikely to complete its Commons stages by the end of July, raising the prospect that it may not reach the Lords until after the party conference season in the autumn. Clegg indicated after his speech that he favoured a slow pace when he said: “We will introduce substantive, big changes. My desire – I think everyone’s desire – is just to get it right. The NHS is simply too precious, too important to millions of people in this country to rush things and get it wrong.” De Bois made clear that the Tories were determined to preserve key elements of Lansley’s original blueprint. The “red lines” identified by De Bois directly clashed with Clegg over: • The new GP-led commissioning consortiums, which are meant to take control of 65% of the NHS budget. The Tory MP said GPs must take charge of commissioning. Clegg wants to open up membership of the new consortiums. • Lansley’s original 2013 deadline, which Clegg dismissed as “arbitrary”. De Bois said: “Contrary to what is being said in public by others, this is a very reasonable period of time.” • Patients should be able to be “treated at any qualified provider”. Clegg said there would be “no sudden, top-down opening up of all NHS services to any qualified provider”. • Monitor, the health regulator, must be retained to promote patient choice. Clegg said Monitor should be retained but must not “push competition”. De Bois said: “The Conservative party manifesto – on which we were all elected – does the job of setting out some key red lines from which we should not retreat … I am determined that we reclaim the debate over the future of the National Health Service from those who seek to use the bill as a political tool.” John Healey, the shadow health secretary, who tabled a motion on Wednesday calling for the bill to repeat its committee stage, said: “The differences between Clegg and Lansley confirm this is a divided not coalition government. Those divisions are adding more confusion and uncertainty for NHS staff and patients waiting for David Cameron to decide what changes he will make to his NHS plans.” Nick Clegg Conservatives NHS Health Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
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on May 26, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News.
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Nick Clegg angers Tories with new delay to NHS reforms
Conservatives furious as Liberal Democrat leader says it will take at least six months to go through the bill for a second time A full-scale row erupted at the highest levels of the coalition after Nick Clegg bounced Downing Street and the Department of Health by announcing that the government’s troubled NHS reforms would be delayed by at least six months. As Conservatives backbenchers indicated that they were spoiling for a fight, by laying down a series of “red lines” over the NHS, Tory sources indicated that Clegg had caught them on the hop when he demanded a delay. The deputy prime minister’s unilateral announcement that the two month-long line-by-line committee stage examination of the health and social care bill should be repeated prompted accusations that he was “freelancing”. Nick de Bois, the MP for Enfield North, who set out the “red lines” in an email to fellow MPs leaked to the Guardian, said: “These are premature and inappropriate comments. We are still in the listening exercise. Our coalition partners have had the loudest voices in this debate and I am keen that the Conservative backbenchers have their voice heard so we can highlight our red lines that come from our manifesto.” Senior Lib Dems indicated they believed they had the upper hand. One source said: “The Tories are flustered. Nick has played the politics of this rather shrewdly. If there are going to be substantive changes who can argue with the idea of giving MPs a chance to scrutinise? It will delay the bill by at least a few months.” Clegg told patients and medical professionals at University College London hospital that it would be wrong to force the bill through parliament after the government’s “listening exercise” on the NHS proposals ends next month. “I don’t think it would be right for us to hold this listening exercise – to make big changes to the legislation – and then to seek to bounce it through parliament,” he said. “It is very important that MPs, who represent millions of patients up and down the country, have the opportunity to really look at the details that we are proposing. “I think we will need to send the bill back to committee. I have always said that it is best to take our time to get it right rather than move too fast and risk getting the details wrong.” The deputy prime minister surprised Tory ministers because his remarks were made to the Guardian in a question-and-answer session after a speech in which he buried Andrew Lansley’s 2013 target for the changes by rejecting “arbitrary deadlines”. The speech had been agreed with Downing Street and the Department of Health, which had not approved any mention of sending the bill back to the committee stage. It is understood that Lansley, the health secretary, and David Cameron accept the bill will have to repeat at least some of its committee stage because major amendments will be tabled when the government responds to the Future Forum’s report after the “listening exercise”. But health ministers are expected to say that only parts of the bill need to be reconsidered in this way to ensure that it can complete all its Commons stages by the summer recess. The Lib Dems disagree and say the bill is unlikely to complete its Commons stages by the end of July, raising the prospect that it may not reach the Lords until after the party conference season in the autumn. Clegg indicated after his speech that he favoured a slow pace when he said: “We will introduce substantive, big changes. My desire – I think everyone’s desire – is just to get it right. The NHS is simply too precious, too important to millions of people in this country to rush things and get it wrong.” De Bois made clear that the Tories were determined to preserve key elements of Lansley’s original blueprint. The “red lines” identified by De Bois directly clashed with Clegg over: • The new GP-led commissioning consortiums, which are meant to take control of 65% of the NHS budget. The Tory MP said GPs must take charge of commissioning. Clegg wants to open up membership of the new consortiums. • Lansley’s original 2013 deadline, which Clegg dismissed as “arbitrary”. De Bois said: “Contrary to what is being said in public by others, this is a very reasonable period of time.” • Patients should be able to be “treated at any qualified provider”. Clegg said there would be “no sudden, top-down opening up of all NHS services to any qualified provider”. • Monitor, the health regulator, must be retained to promote patient choice. Clegg said Monitor should be retained but must not “push competition”. De Bois said: “The Conservative party manifesto – on which we were all elected – does the job of setting out some key red lines from which we should not retreat … I am determined that we reclaim the debate over the future of the National Health Service from those who seek to use the bill as a political tool.” John Healey, the shadow health secretary, who tabled a motion on Wednesday calling for the bill to repeat its committee stage, said: “The differences between Clegg and Lansley confirm this is a divided not coalition government. Those divisions are adding more confusion and uncertainty for NHS staff and patients waiting for David Cameron to decide what changes he will make to his NHS plans.” Nick Clegg Conservatives NHS Health Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
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on May 26, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News.
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