Sports Minister subbed before game begins
Prime minister Tony Blair has ordered his sports minister to return home to help stave off a potential Commons defeat on Wednesday over the Government’s flagship Health and Social Care Bill.
Sports minister Richard Caborn was ordered home from Australia before England’s rugby union World Cup final in Australia.
In his place, culture secretary Tessa Jowell will officially represent England at Saturday’s World Cup final in Sydney and will fly out on Thursday.
Whips fear disgruntled backbench MPs may ignore pleas for unity and vote against the Government on the controversial issue of foundation hospitals.
The government wants to reward top-performing hospitals with greater financial freedom.
But critics say foundation trusts will inexorably lead to a two-tier health service.
Earlier in the month, the Lords voted against a clause on foundation trusts in the Health and Social Care Bill, defeating the Government by 150 to 100.
Mr Caborn said he was “bitterly disappointed” to miss the final.
A spokesman for Mr Caborn, when asked about how his boss felt about the decision, said: “I can’t tell you. It’s before the watershed.”
He is reportedly annoyed at missing the opportunity to garner support for London’s bid to host the Olympics in 2012.
Tory leader Michael Howard yesterday spelt out the ramifications of a Commons defeat for the government.
“If a government elected with as large a majority as this one actually loses in the House of Commons, the consequences would be extremely serious.
“It would shake the government to its very foundations.”
Tory sports spokesman Lord Moynihan attacked the decision to send Mrs Jowell to Australia: “The tax payer shouldn’t be paying for that.
“It is because the party is in disarray over a vote in the House of Commons, it is nothing to do with the opposition. It is Labour MPs voting against their government.’
And Tory spokesman on health and education Tim Yeo MP explained his party’s opposition to the foundation hospitals.
“Conservatives believe in setting the NHS free. The government’s plans for Foundation Hospitals don’t do this. They maintain the controls from the centre and the bureaucracy of star ratings, targets and inspection. Worse, new controls and costs are added including the costs, estimated at £67 million of the new governance arrangements.
“We want to set all hospitals free to serve patients better.”
Former Labour health minister Frank Dobson forecasted a large number of backbench colleagues would vote against the Government on foundation hospitals.
Mr Dobson said: “Quite frankly, if the Government loses tomorrow, they need to take stock and say sorry we got it wrong, we are now going to go forward and we are going to make sure in future anything we propose for the National Health Service commands the support of the Labour Party and commands the support of the people.”
The final between England and Australia is to kick off at 09:00 GMT on Saturday.
