1 Week down, 51 to go!

Here we are … a week in to 2023.

Whilst the year may have changed pressures facing the NHS and the Prime Minister have not.

Although the news headlines this week may suggest that anecdotes from Prince Harry’s upcoming memoir ‘spare’ are the most important things happening in the country, I can assure you, this is not the case.

Instead, although hidden behind the headlines regarding Prince Harry, the NHS has been at the centre of this week’s news, along with political speeches from both Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

On Sunday it was reported by The Sunday Times that “up to 500 patients could be dying weekly due to the delays in emergency care” it was also reported that a patient waited 99 hours in A&E before being seen by a doctor and children as young as 5 were being asked to sleep on chairs. This report comes as doctors and senior health officials claim that the issues facing the NHS are only going to get worse. However, The Prime Minister and Downing Street are refusing to admit that the NHS is facing a crisis saying that it is an “unprecedented challenge for the NHS bought around by a number of factors, most significantly the global pandemic. We are confident we are providing the NHS with the funding it needs, as we did throughout the pandemic, to deal with these issues”. [No.10 Spokesperson]

With more nursing strikes due to take place this month and Junior Doctors currently voting on whether to strike, the government are under mounting pressure to get round the table and negotiate with nurses. Doctors have criticised Sunak, calling him “delusional” for his continuous refusal to acknowledge the ongoing and ever worsening situation in the NHS.

On Wednesday, Rishi Sunak appeared in East London, delivering his first major speech of 2023. Sunak used this speech to make five promises to voters. The Prime Minister said he will halve the rate of inflation, grow the economy, shrink national debts, ensure NHS waiting lists fall and pass new laws to reduce the number of small boat crossings the English Channel. Sunak said “those are the people’s priorities. They are your governments priorities. And we will either have achieved them or not. No tricks, no ambiguity, we are either delivering for you or we are not.”

On Thursday, in the same place that the Prime Minister delivered his speech, Labour leader, Kier Starmer also gave his first major speech of 2023 – although this was very different to that of the PM. Starmer promised to end “sticking plaster politics” and said a Labour government would introduce a ‘Take Back Control Bill’ to devolve power away from Westminster and spread prosperity across the UK. He promised a “new approach to politics and democracy”.

Next week will be busy with parliament returning from the Christmas break. The government are set to hold talks with nurses unions in an attempt to stop further strikes. It is likely that discussions in the commons on Monday will be dominated by the ongoing pressures facing the NHS. Wednesday will then see the return of PMQs in which I expect to see Starmer attack Sunak for not negotiating with unions and criticise the PM for not being in control.