Letwin admits country facing growth crisis

Oliver Letwin, the Prime Minister’s key policy adviser, revealed that last week’s Budget was thrashed out in reaction to the problem with growth and jobs. Labour seized on the comments and claimed Mr Letwin had “let the cat out of the bag.” Mr Letwin told the environmental audit select committee: “Leading up to the recent Budget, we took the view collectively in Cabinet that we faced an immediate national crisis in the form of less growth and jobs than we needed. And we were determined collectively to try to increase that growth and those jobs.” He said that realization “set in train” a process in which all departments tried to come up with plans to help boost growth – the results of which were seen in last week’s Budget. Angela Eagle, a shadow Treasury spokesman said: “With unemployment at a 17 year high and the economy contracting at the end of last year, there is a jobs and growth crisis in Britain. “But it’s a crisis of George Osborne’s own making and the government still seems to be in denial. “Recognising that there’s a problem is a good start. But there’s no point having crisis talks if you then decide to carry on regardless with a reckless plan that is hurting but isn’t working.” – the Telegraph

Pressure mounts on Cameron to cut Lansley loose

TORY bruiser Norman Tebbit has launched an amazing attack on the Government’s health reforms. The ex-Cabinet minister and Margaret Thatcher’s former hatchet man admitted grave concerns they could do “considerable” damage to NHS hospitals. His comments are the latest blow to David Cameron, following criticism from doctors, nurses and midwives. Lord Tebbit said Health Secretary Andrew Lansley’s plans could bring “unfair” competition, enabling private firms to cherry pick.. He said: “It’s fine for the private sector, which doesn’t have responsibility for teaching and bringing on young surgeons, to take the straightforward and easy stuff. “But that means the public sector is then left without the base of work to subsidise the more difficult surgery and the teaching of surgeons.” – the Mirror
Protests, marches and lobbies will be held across the UK in opposition to the Government’s Health and Social Care Bill which unions believe will lead to health services being privatised. MPs will be lobbied and protests held in cities including Rotherham, Sheffield, Nottingham, Bolton, Sunderland and Winchester. Dave Prentis, general secretary of the Unison union, said: “The Government cannot afford to keep ignoring the anger of voters. We saw nearly half a million people march through London on Saturday to protest against public service cuts. “April 1 will see our members again taking action to challenge their MPs and to defend the NHS against Andrew Lansley’s privatisation plans. The Government is a lone voice for NHS privatisation and, by turning their back on the electorate, they are turning the clocks back on healthcare across the UK.” – PA Read the rest of this entry »

Cameron embarrassed by Lansley’s failure to build reform support

NHS chiefs are urging ministers to rethink their health service shakeup because the speed and scale of the radical restructuring could damage patient care and cause financial problems. The government’s failure to persuade health professionals that its proposals are needed is destabilising the NHS and alienating staff, the NHS Confederation warns. It represents 95% of the service’s employers, such as the bosses of hospitals, primary care trusts and ambulance services. In a new paper, the confederation says that the coalition should rethink its insistence that trusts be abolished in 2013 and replaced by consortiums of GPs to commission patients’ care. Instead, the trusts should be allowed to continue and the new consortiums be given the freedom to develop slowly then gradually acquire control over treatment budgets, in what would be a major U-turn for the health secretary,Andrew Lansley. The confederation’s intervention comes amid intense government discussions involving David Cameron about how to improve the health and social care bill after the Liberal Democrat spring conference’s call for major changes. Lansley has caused growing concern among coalition colleagues by failing to win over public opinion, or any major health or medical organisation, by insisting on a big bang approach to change in the NHS.- the Guardian

I know it is wise not to believe everything you read in the papers, but if I were Andrew Lansley, I would not like what I see. There is enough around, as his officials will be muttering nervously to each other this morning, to suggest David Cameron is about to cut him adrift. By this I do not mean that he faces the axe in the reshuffle, though it is not impossible. What I do mean is that the Prime Minister’s political instincts finally appear to be kicking in, and he is seeking to avert the car crash Lansley has inadvertently caused. A succession of ministers has already learned that the Prime Minister tends to let them get on with it, pays scant attention to detail during policy planning, but then finds he has to step in. It is becoming harder and harder to find an expert voice or a vested interest (sometimes the two are combined) who thinks the non-mandated reforms will do anything other than real damage to healthcare. Cameron has had his jibe at the BMA as being just another trade union, but beneath the bravado, he is getting worried, and looking to make change. – Alistair Campbell

Warsi under fire again for AV comments

Baroness Warsi, the Conservative Party chairman, was accused of scoring a spectacular own goal last night in a speech about the British National Party, provoking calls from some Tory MPs for David Cameron to move her in a summer reshuffle. Senior Conservatives joined Labour and Liberal Democrat politicians in criticising Lady Warsi after she claimed that a Yes vote in the referendum on electoral reform would boost the prospects of the BNP. They pointed out that the BNP was on the same side as the Tories in opposing a switch to the alternative vote (AV) in the 5 May referendum. Her critics accused her of giving the BNP credibility and publicity – the very things she argued that AV would provide for the far-right party. One senior Tory MP said: “It looks as though she didn’t think it through. There’s a growing feeling that she should be moved to a job as a departmental minister.” – the Independent Read the rest of this entry »