Tories offer services cuts to fund £28 billion extra for NHS
A future Conservative government would spend an additional £28 billion a year on the NHS, shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley has pledged.
Mr Lansley said the Conservatives would increase spending on the NHS by two per cent, rising to 11 per cent of GDP.
But in an interview with the Times he admitted the funding would lead to “tough” cuts to other public services.
Labour have accused George Osborne of reneging on an earlier pledge not to make unfunded spending plans.
Government ministers have written to the shadow chancellor demanding to know which departments would be subject to spending cuts to pay for the additional investment.
Mr Lansley said it was “not for him to say” where the axes would fall.
“It’s tough,” he told the newspaper. “It means there are more places where public expenditure will decline as a proportion of GDP or in some cases absolute terms.”
Yvette Cooper, chief secretary to the Treasury, confirmed Labour ministers from the Department for Children, Schools and Families, transport and defence departments and Home Office have written to the shadow chancellor demanding to know what cuts would be made.
Ms Cooper said Mr Osborne had already promised the Conservatives would not make unfunded spending commitments.
“If the Tories know how this pledge can be paid for, they will be able to explain to the country where the cuts they wish to make will fall,” she said.
“If not, this adds to the growing evidence that George Osborne has lost control and is allowing the Tory frontbench to make wild and rash tax and spend pledges without thinking for a second how they would be paid for.”
David Cameron has previously voiced strong support for his health spokesman, guaranteeing his place in the shadow Cabinet until after the next election.
Predicting what a future Tory government would do, Mr Lansley told the Times they were “bound to have rising real-terms health expenditure”.
“That means that health expenditure is going to be a rising proportion of total public expenditure,” he added.
The pledge comes as public services prepare to accommodate Britain’s ageing population, with policy makers already having predicted rising demand for healthcare services.
The Conservatives have in the past criticised Labour’s policy of pouring extra funds into the NHS, insisting it has not improved services.
For effective reforms, the health service must embrace choice and competition, Mr Lansley said.
He also criticised the government’s policy of trying to ‘legislate healthy behaviour’, dismissing initiatives such as traffic light food labelling.
