Bristol Labor and Green candidates spar over NHS ‘stupidity’ claim

Two Bristol general election candidates traded blows at the weekend over how to fix the NHS. The health service will be one of the key issues for many voters in the upcoming election on Thursday, July 4.

Karin Smyth, current candidate for Bristol South and Labor health minister, claimed the Green Party’s investment plans were similar to Liz Truss’ infamous mini-budget. The Greens want to increase NHS spending by a further £28bn by 2030.

She was joined on BBC Politics West on Sunday 16 June by Carla Denyer, Green candidate for Bristol Central and co-leader of the Green Party. Ms Denyer defended her party’s plans and argued that a Labor government would lead to cuts to the health service.

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Mrs Denyer said: “Have you seen the Nuffield Trust review of Labor and Conservative NHS investment plans? They said both were unrealistic and would result in cuts, even related to current spending. The Nuffield Trust was clear that neither Labor nor the Conservatives were providing the necessary investment.

“Our manifesto is fully calculated and fully funded. The Green Party is the only party prepared to be honest in this election about the scale of investment needed to fix our crumbling public services, whether it’s schools or the NHS and social care. This is by adjusting our tax system to ensure that those with the broadest shoulders can afford to pay the most.”

The Nuffield Trust, an independent think tank, analyzed both the Labor and Conservative manifestos and found that the NHS would be left with smaller spending increases than during years of Tory austerity. This would leave the NHS struggling to pay existing staffing costs despite plans to increase the number of doctors and nurses.

According to the analysis, NHS funding would increase each year by 1.5% under the Lib Dems, 0.9% under the Conservatives and 1.1% under Labour. The Labor Party plans to invest £2 billion in the health service, paid for by “dodging tax cuts” – but to put that into perspective, the NHS’s annual budget for England is £165 billion.

The Greens say they will push for a year-on-year reduction in waiting lists, guaranteed access to an NHS dentist, guaranteed fast access to a GP and a pay rise for NHS staff. They would spend an extra £8bn in the first full year of the next parliament, taking the total to £28bn by 2030. Part of their huge investment would be funded by a new wealth tax on assets over £10 million.

However, Ms Smyth denied the Greens’ manifesto was fully funded and calculated. She also claimed that the Green Party’s plans were similar to the Tory mini-budget of 2022, which triggered a bond market crash and led to a huge rise in interest rates and mortgage costs.

She said: “Your manifesto is like Liz Truss. It’s going to freak everyone out and it’s absolutely not fully funded and fully costed. It’s not realistic. All your plans are like Liz Truss mark two. It scares everyone, absolutely. I’ve heard a lot of nonsense that goes unchallenged.”

Labor said it would cut NHS waiting times by 40,000 more appointments every week, double the number of cancer scans, launch a new dental bailout and hire 8,500 more mental health staff. They would also bring about a “return of the GP”.

Also on the program was Claire Young, Liberal Democrat candidate for Thornbury and Yate and leader of South Gloucestershire Council. She said her party would close capital gains loopholes and “remove taxes from working families”.

Meg Powell-Chandler, the Tory candidate for Wells and Mendip Hills, said it was “easy for the Greens or the Liberal Democrats to pull out” because they were unlikely to be in government. She added: “They can promise the world because they will never have to deal with it.”