A parliamentary debate on whether it is right to push back the timing of the programme, which has struggled to meet its promised targets, could put Labour into a politically embarrassing position.
The motion is being tabled on Wednesday by the Liberal Democrats, who also want a “crumbling hospitals taskforce” to be set up to ensure that NHS facilities are brought up to minimum standards.
At the 2019 general election, Johnson promised to build 40 new hospitals by the end of this decade – although it was always unclear whether there was enough funding for the project.
Boris Johnson pledged to ‘fix social care once and for all’ and to build 40 ‘new’ hospitals, neither of which he achieved (Photo by Christopher Furlong/WPA Pool/Getty Images)
It faced further setbacks due to soaring inflation and the discovery of dangerous, crumbling concrete known as “RAAC” in many existing hospital buildings, which then required urgent repairs.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting ordered a review into the scheme, resulting in the target date for its completion being pushed back to the end of the 2030s, with nearly half of the hospitals not set to begin construction until 2032.
“After years of disgraceful Conservative neglect this is the awful situation we find ourselves in. Yet, instead of moving at the speed required, this Labour Government has embraced the false economy of dither and delay, opting to kick the can down the road rather than deliver for patients. The time for refusing to front up to these big challenges is over.”
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“This Government has confirmed a funding plan and an honest, realistic timetable to deliver all schemes in the programme. Through our Plan for Change, we have made the choices that have put £26bn into our NHS and social care.
A Labour source added: “We’ve got this programme back on a deliverable and honest footing after the damage and mess the Tories caused. The Lib Dems wouldn’t have backed our choices at the Budget to raise £26bn for our NHS and so should be clear – what would they actually do for our NHS and how would they fund it?
“This Government’s plan for change is leading to falling waiting lists, more GPs and 700,000 more dental appointments across the country. The opposition parties are all against these measures.”
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