Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, today voted in the House of Commons to give more funding to the NHS, which would have seen an additional £26bn in real terms pumped into health services in England.
With the Queen’s Speech debate back in parliament today (Thursday), the Labour Party secured focus on funding for health and social care services.
In a parliamentary procedure known as a ‘regret motion’, Labour made make the case for increasing funding for the NHS and social care, and exposed the failings of the Conservative Government’s Queen’s Speech in relation to the NHS.
Labour forced a vote to get parliament’s backing to fund the NHS by an additional four per cent a year and called for the Government to bring forward a plan to end the crisis in social care. The motion was voted down by the government.
It was the first vote in the Commons on non Brexit related legislation since the general election.
The additional funding promised by the Conservatives amounts to a 3.1 per cent uplift – below the 3.3 percent the Institute for Fiscal Studies stated was needed for services just to be maintained at the current level.
Last week, we saw the worst national A&E waiting times on record, with the number of people waiting on trolleys for treatment reaching over 98000 – the highest ever seen during the winter.
Andrew Gwynne said:
“This was the first non-Brexit vote in the House of Commons since the general election and I was proud that it was a vote to save our NHS.
“Unfortunately, the Tories voted against providing the funding that our NHS and social care system so desperately needs.
“I will continue to fight for our NHS at every opportunity.”