Exclusive: Labour created the NHS now we'll save it Prime Minister tells LBC
“We’ll make sure that wherever you live, the NHS will be there for you".
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Late last night, the government unveiled a bold 10-year plan to overhaul the healthcare system.
In an exclusive opinion piece for LBC, the Prime Minister said it is his “personal” mission to save the NHS - noting that his mother, sister, and wife all worked in the service.
Almost a year on from the general election, Sir Keir Starmer vowed the government is “going to get it back on its feet and fit for the future.”
"It was created by a Labour government, and it will be saved by this Labour government."
The Prime Minister will unveil his vision for the NHS in a major speech later today, as he seeks to shift focus away from several chaotic days in Westminster.
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Starmer described the state of the health system inherited by Labour as being in the midst of the “worst crisis in its history,” with people “languishing on waiting lists, NHS staff overwhelmed with bureaucracy and our society getting sicker.”
He stressed that this new phase of reform would prioritise prevention, saying the government is focusing on “preventing illness before it even happens” through expanded screenings, earlier diagnoses, improved mental health support, and making healthy choices easier.
The Prime Minister also promised technology would play a central role in modernising care.
'Revolutionise'
Making better use of the NHS app, he said, will help “revolutionise” how conditions are treated and managed.
“It will be like having a doctor, pharmacist, receptionist and advisor pointing you towards local services – all in your pocket,” he said.
Starmer also acknowledged that his first year in office has required some “really tough decisions,” including ending tax breaks for private schools, abolishing non-dom tax status, and changes to inheritance tax.
“I know that was difficult for some people,” he admitted.
He also pointed to key achievements under his leadership so far, including raising the minimum wage, expanding free breakfast clubs and school meals, and delivering four million extra NHS appointments.
He ended saying: "Because this is personal for me – my mum, wife and sister have all worked for the NHS."
Starmer's mother, Josephine - who ended up developing Still's disease - worked as nurse while his sister was a care worker.
His wife Victoria is a former solicitor who currently works as an occupational health administrator.
"It was created by a Labour government, and it will be saved by this Labour government."
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the plan would deliver "one of the most fundamental changes in the way we receive our healthcare in history".
Mr Streeting also told the Sun newspaper that he would work to widen access to weight loss jabs beyond the obese people who can currently get them on the NHS.
"The jabs are a route not just to lower weight, but lower taxes," he added, suggesting that expanding the treatment would improve the nation's health and lower costs.
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) general secretary, Professor Nicola Ranger urged the Prime Minister to "back up his plan with a clear one to turn around the shortage of nurses in all local communities.
"Moving care away from overcrowded hospitals is urgent and necessary but it will prove impossible whilst this part of the healthcare workforce is so depleted and undervalued," she added.