Leicestershire’s Rishi Sunak: With the NHS in crisis, we ask the Prime Minister why people should vote Conservative

Rishi Sunak was in Hinckley today as part of his General Election campaign and LeicestershireLive took the opportunity to ask him about the state of the NHS. With people across the county struggling to access a service as basic as a doctor’s appointment under the Tories, we asked the Prime Minister why voters should support his party on July 4.

Figures published last month showed that one in nine Leicestershire residents waited more than three weeks for an appointment in March. Sitting down with the press at Bosworth MP Luke Evans’ constituency office this afternoon, the Prime Minister insisted his government was “making sure it can get people care faster and when they need it”, citing as an example the new Hinckley Planned Community Diagnostic Centre. .

He also pointed to a recent initiative that gave pharmacists the power to treat some of the most common ailments, such as sore throats and ear infections, so people don’t need to visit their GP family. Waiting lists at hospitals across the country are shrinking, he said.

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However, the prime minister admitted that there is still work to be done. He told LeicestershireLive: “Look, I know there is more to do when it comes to NHS waiting lists. We have been hit by a pandemic and it will take time to recover.

“The good news is that the (national) waiting lists have now reduced by around 200,000 in the last few months they would have reduced by more had we not had strikes. But thankfully that is now behind us and we can move on. redirect.”

Mr Sunak took the opportunity to insist the Conservative party, under his leadership, “has a clear plan” – something he said Labor lacked. What’s more, it’s a plan he claims “works.”

He said: “We live in uncertain times, and those uncertain times require leadership prepared to take bold action. This has a clear plan because this is how you provide a secure future for everyone and our country.

“And that is my message to everyone, not just here in the East Midlands but across the country. Wherever I go, we are the ones who have prepared to take bold action. We are the ones who have a clear plan.

“You can see that plan is working, especially when it comes to the economy. Inflation has fallen from 11% to 2%.”

The Prime Minister was also asked about his new proposal that all 18-year-olds would do some form of National Service. This would be either military service or voluntary work with services such as the NHS, police and fire services.

Given the demand this would place on young people, the Prime Minister was asked if he had given up securing their votes. He insisted that this policy is for young people and will be “transformational for them”.

He said: “I think it will be transformational and not just for our country but also for young people because it will give all young people, no matter where they grow up, where they live, what their background is, opportunities to get really valuable skills that will prepare them for life. And at the same time, it will help promote a culture of service that will make our society more cohesive.

“I think service gives you a purpose, so beyond the skills that young people will acquire. I think there’s a tremendous amount of purpose you give out of service to give back to your community.

“So I think young people will find this really fulfilling and it will also contribute to the resilience and security of our country. For all these reasons, I think it’s a really positive step.”

The Prime Minister also visited a bowling alley in Leicestershire while in the county. Speaking about plans to cut tax for pensioners, he said it gave voters a “clear choice” at the election.

“What I believe is that if you work hard all your life, you should have dignity in your retirement,” the Prime Minister said during a visit to a bowling alley in Leicestershire.

He said the “triple lock-plus” – which will raise the threshold at which pensioners start paying tax on their pensions – would provide “a tax cut of around £100 for millions of pensioners, demonstrating the commitment our towards them”.

Under Labour, “pensioners will pay tax” and “that is a clear option on offer”, he said. Asked if he now recognized that the freeze on personal allowances was a tax increase, the prime minister said the twin challenges of Covid and the Ukraine war meant “difficult decisions” had to be taken to control debt and borrowing.

He added: “Now that that plan has worked – inflation is down from 11% to 2%, wages are rising and the economy is growing – we’re also able to cut people’s taxes.”