Keir Starmer mocks super-rich Rishi Sunak as he asks PM if he’d settle for NHS waits

Keir Starmer mocked super-rich Rishi Sunak for “forgetting” to incorporate the NHS in his new 5 pledges for the nation.

In a fiery PMQs alternate, the Labour chief criticised the Tories for the document variety of individuals on a ready record for therapy as he steered the multimillionaire PM wouldn’t settle for such delays for his circle of relatives.

Mr Sunak made 5 guarantees on financial development in a speech earlier this week. It raised questions he was changing his 5 staple pledges, a number of of which he’s failing to get a grip on, together with stopping the boats and slicing ready lists. Mr Starmer requested the PM: “This week, the Prime Minister unveiled the latest version of his five pledges for the country. Let’s hope he has more success with these then the last ones. Did he forget the NHS?”

Mr Sunak responded: “Just weeks after becoming Prime Minister, we injected record funding into the NHS and in social care. We also unveiled the first ever long term workforce plan in the NHS’s 75-year history. But I’m pleased he mentioned the five pledges because as he knows three of them are economic, on a day which we will focus on the economy. I’m pleased to report that we have indeed halved inflation. No thanks to the Party opposite. We have indeed grown the economy and we have indeed reduced debt.”

But the Labour chief didn’t again down, hitting again: “The reason he ignored the NHS, not only in his new pledges but just now, is because 7.8million people are currently on the waiting list. That’s half a million more than when he pledged to bring them down nearly a year ago. The Prime Minister just claimed that this is all about economic growth. So let me ask him if a labourer or a care worker is forced to wait a year for an operation, how are they meant to help grow the economy?”

The PM claimed Labour “wants to play politics” whereas the Tories “get things done”. Mr Starmer added: “So raising the waiting list by half a million is getting things done? He’s through looking glass, this one. I asked the Prime Minister how many people are waiting for mental health treatment? He knows the answer. He just doesn’t want to give it: 1.2 million. 200,000 are children. Some waiting nearly two years to be seen. Would the Prime Minister accept those kinds of delays if it were one of his family or friends?”

The Labour chief raised the case of an NHS nurse who has struggled to seek out time to see her 14-year-old son Mikey. He mentioned he has develop into significantly unwell and hasn’t been capable of be in mainstream training for over a 12 months. He requested: “How does he think they feel when they see the Prime Minister refusing to take responsibility and boasting that everything is fine?”

The PM tried to dodge the reply by talking in regards to the wave of NHS strikes and claiming Mr Starmer did “not have the strength to condemn it”, including: “We’re doing absolutely everything we can to put money into the NHS to bring down the waiting list because I do want families up and down the country to have access to the health care that they need.”

Mr Sunak lastly admitted he had used non-public healthcare earlier this 12 months. After weeks of dodging questions, the Prime Minister introduced he had used it “in the past” . But he added he’s now registered with an NHS GP and is “proud” to return from an NHS household.