Blair under fire over health reforms
Tony Blair will arrive for Labour’s annual conference on Saturday hoping to revitalise his party.
The prime minister is set to use this week’s gathering in Brighton to stress that Labour must bring about greater reforms in the public sector during its third term in power.
But the Labour leadership are likely to face challenges from critics over the proposed greater use of private companies within the health service, with Unison, the country’s largest union, running an “NHS not for sale” campaign.
Former health secretary Frank Dobson is among signatories to a letter arguing against the plans, which appeared in The Guardian on Saturday.
The letter, which is also signed by senior officials from the British Medical Association (BMA) warns that “forced market competition will break up the NHS.”
Speaking to The Guardian, Mr Dobson said: “The government’s policy of promoting competition within the NHS and franchising services out to the private sector is gathering momentum day by day.
“Before long we will have a health insurance system and the NHS’s role as a provider of care will be limited to picking up the difficult cases and looking after the worst off.”
But health secretary Patricia Hewitt insisted that the use of independent health providers had benefited patients and resulted in greater efficiency.
Ms Hewitt added: “We are not turning the NHS into a private service and we will never abandon the principle that healthcare should be free at the point of need, not based on the ability to pay.”
Ministers are also set to face opposition from the trade unions, who are pressing for the revision of employment laws and are concerned about reforms to public sector pensions.
Commentators suggest that Iraq is also likely to be high on the conference agenda, with a Stop the War march in London on Saturday to be followed by smaller demonstrations in Brighton during the week.
Meanwhile, Mr Blair will tell delegates that helping Britain to meet the challenges posed by the new global economy will be a key role for the government, and stress that the central message of the conference will be “Securing Britain’s Future”.
Mr Blair, who believes that Labour must renew itself in order to secure a fourth election victory, is also expected to stress that the party must reach out to those beyond its traditional activist base.
Labour’s membership has fallen sharply since the party came to power in 1997 and officials now reportedly want to establish a national network of supporters to complement an existing database of sympathisers.
The conference is due to open with tributes to former foreign secretary Robin Cook, ex-Northern Ireland secretary Mo Mowlam and former prime minister Lord Callaghan, who all died this year.
Security is tighter than ever in Brighton with more than 1,300 police officers patrolling Brighton in the aftermath of this summer’s London suicide bombings.
