Alba warn of Labour’s NHS privatisation agenda threat to Scotland

SCOTLAND'S NHS is at risk from a UK privatisation agenda, warns Alba Party

The warning comes after Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary made a pitch to woo Tory voters in today’ edition of The Sun.

Labour MP Wes Streeting says that the private sector will be brought in to help reduce waiting times and that extra funding will only be put into the NHS under a Labour Government if NHS bosses agree to their reform demands. 

Setting his stall out against healthcare trade unions and traditional Labour supporters, Streeting said “middle-class lefties cry ‘betrayal’”, but that he is “up for the fight” against them.

Alba Party’s Westminster leader Neale Hanvey MP says that “it’s now clear that whether Scots end up with a Labour Government or a Tory Government after the election,  a new and devastating privatisation agenda will be front and centre of NHS reforms.” 

Mr Hanvey, who who worked in the NHS for decades before he was elected, says that independence is the only protection for the NHS in Scotland.

The Alba Party Westminster leader has warned that “once Labour bring the Private Sector through the front door companies making obscene profits out of the NHS will be there to stay.”

Hanvey says that this would lead to “mission creep” of further services being privatised which would result in cuts to the NHS budget in England which would be passed on to the Scottish budget and result in reduced services north of the border even though health is devolved to Holyrood.

Commenting Alba Party Westminster leader Neale Hanvey MP said:

"Back in 2014 this is exactly what supporters of independence warned about. The Labour Party dismissed concerns over NHS privatisation but in order to appeal to Tory voters in the South East of England the Labour Party have now sold-out with their privatisation agenda for the NHS in England, a project started by Tony Blair with his break-up of the NHS into Foundation Trusts. The reality is that Labour have done as much, if not more damage to the NHS than the Tories can be rightly accused of.

“Alba Party are absolutely clear that keeping Scotland's NHS in public hands is the right thing to do, and privatisation is never the answer to addressing the severe pressures much of our NHS is struggling with. 

“Wes Streeting has made it clear today that in the event of a Labour Government after the election he will continue Blair's dismantling of the England's NHS and Scotland's NHS would be hit by hugely damaging cuts as a knock-on effect of Labour’s privatisation plans. It’s clear that the best, and only way to protect our NHS in Scotland is with independence.”