HEALTH SECRETARY Wes Streeting attacked Reform UK’s immigration policies and warned that they seek to remove health workers who had dedicated decades of service to the NHS.
On the third day of Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool on Tuesday (29), which was dominated by attacks on the Reform UK leader, Streeting said: “Farage says: go home. We say: you are home. I’ve got your back. We’ve got your back.
“And at the next election, we’ll send Farage packing.”
He warned doctors that Reform UK could “do away with the NHS”, as he urged the British Medical Association (BMA) to work with the Government.
The health secretary labelled Farage as a “con artist” and a “snake oil salesman”.
Weight-loss jabs
Streeting promised that millions of patients would receive weight-loss jabs on the NHS, and hoped this could help combat obesity.
He said medical breakthroughs were a new “industrial revolution” that would transform society, but warned that poorer people risked being priced out.
“The wealthy talk about how they’ve transformed their health, their confidence, their quality of life. But what about the millions who can’t afford them? That is a return to the days when health was determined by wealth.”
No VAT for private healthcare
Streeting ruled out reports that value-added tax (VAT) will be introduced for private healthcare at the forthcoming Budget.
A section of the press had reported that the Treasury may bring private healthcare services within the scope of the sales tax.
However, the health secretary told the BBC that the government has no such plans.
