Budget 2024: Chancellor Rachel Reeves to pump billions into crisis-hit NHS to slash ready lists

Rachel Reeves will pump billions of pounds into the crisis-hit NHS at the Budget to slash waiting lists and end a decade of neglect.

The Chancellor will set aside the cash to deliver on Labour’s election pledge to get the health service back on its feet with two million extra appointments a year.

Last month The Mirror revealed Ms Reeves would put fixing the NHS at the heart of Labour’s first Budget in almost 15 years.
Among the funding being announced on Wednesday, £1.5billion will be invested in new surgical hubs and scanners to help free up capacity in the NHS. An extra £70million will also be set aside for new radiotherapy machines.

The full funding plans to tackle the NHS waiting list of over 7.6million in England will be revealed when the Chancellor delivers the Budget. Speaking at St George’s Hospital in Tooting, south London, the Chancellor said staff were using equipment purchased under the last Labour government which should have been replaced.

In a statement, she added: “Our NHS is the lifeblood of Britain. It exemplifies public services at their best, there for us when we need it and free at the point of use, for everyone in this country. That’s why I am putting an end to the neglect and underinvestment it has seen for over a decade now.

“We will be known as the government that took the NHS from its worst crisis in its history, got it back on its feet again and made it fit for the bright future ahead of it.”

Health Secretary Wes Streeting added: “Our NHS is broken, but it’s not beaten, and this Budget is the moment we start to fix it.” But he warned it will take time to turn the situation around, saying: “I can’t pretend that we’re going to be able to wave a Labour magic wand and make all of those problems go away this winter. There will still be real problems this winter.”

The Liberal Democrats welcomed the new funding but warned the “deafening silence on social care cannot be allowed to continue”. Health and social care spokeswoman Helen Morgan said: “Until the government gets a grip of social care, hospitals will remain overwhelmed and patients will pay the price.”

On Monday, Keir Starmer also insisted there would be “short cuts” in rebuilding Britain after 14 years of Tory rule. In a major speech the PM said tax rises – expected to run into the billions – in the Budget will “prevent austerity and rebuild public services”.

He said: “Mark my words – that era is now over, we are turning the page on Tory decline, closing the book on their austerity and chaos. Those days are done, they are behind us, change is here.”

Mr Starmer also promised the country “better days are ahead” – but warned there would be more “tough decisions”. He announced in Birmingham that the £2 bus fare cap will be hiked to £3, accusing the Tories of failing to fund the scheme beyond the end of 2024.

And he set aside a £240million funding boost for local services to “get Britain working” and tackle the number of people out of work. He said: “As a Labour Government, we will always help those who cannot support themselves, but the UK is the only G7 country for whom inactivity is still higher than it was before Covid.

“And that’s not just bad for our economy, it’s also bad for all those who are locked out of opportunity. So the Chancellor will announce £240 million in funding to provide local services that can help people back into work and the dignity that that brings.”