Almost half of 40 hospitals promised by Conservatives delayed
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Almost half of the 40 hospitals promised by the previous Conservative government have been delayed, the health secretary has said. Speaking in the House of Commons, Wes Streeting said 18 of the projects will now be completed between 2030 and 2039, instead of by the original 2030 deadline.
Mr Streeting launched a scathing attack on the Conservative Party for making the promise to build the facilities without a clear funding plan. Politics latest: 'Questions to answer' over Southport - PM. He said the new plans would "give patients an honest, realistic, deliverable timetable that they can believe in".
Mr Streeting added: "This Labour government is rebuilding our NHS and as we do so, we will also rebuild trust in politics.". He claimed funding for the 40 projects was due to run out by March this year. The promise to build 40 new hospitals by 2030 was originally promised by Boris Johnson in the 2019 election campaign.
There have long been questions about the feasibility of the projects - including on cost grounds, the suitability of plans for new hospitals, and whether each project actually included a new hospital or rather an improvement to previous facilities. Some £20bn in funding promised by the last government was "never delivered", according to a government announcement today.
Follow our channel and never miss an update. The new timetable will be backed by £15bn over consecutive five-year waves - which the government says works out to £3bn a year. Speaking in the Commons, Mr Streeting said hospitals already with full business cases or already under construction will continue on their current timetable.
