The Labour Party this morning scrambled to radically redrafts its NHS funding plans after Theresa May outflanked them to offer a £20billion cash boost.
Emily Thornberry was left squirming and unable to say what Labour would do to take on the Government’s as she was grilled on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.
But just an hour later shadow heath secretary Jonathan Ashworth took to the airwaves to announce that Labour would match the funding the PM had offered.
He said this would be on top off the extra money Labour had previously promised – insisting this would beat the Tory offer.
But he refused to say if Labour would keep whatever tax rises the PM imposes to raise the money – a move which would almost certainly see the party break its promise not raise taxes for 95 per cent of earners.
And John McDonnell said under Labour NHS funding would go up to five per cent.
It is understood that Labour got to work thrashing out a plan to try outdo do the PM after she made the radical offer overnight.
The shadow foreign secretary was grilled by presenter Andrew Marr on whether her party has been ‘overtaken on the left’ by the PM – despite Jeremy Corbyn’s apparent radicalism.
But just an hour later shadow heath secretary Jonathan Ashworth took to the airwaves to announce that Labour would match the funding the PM had offered
At the last election Labour had pledged to increase healthcare funding by just 2 per cent over the next five years – far less than the 3.4 per cent boost the PM unveiled today.
Mrs Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, was grilled by presenter Andrew Marr on whether her party has been ‘overtaken on the left’ by the PM.
Appearing on the BBC show, she repeatedly refused to admit the Tories are promising more money for the NHS than Labour for the first time in modern politics.
And she refused to be drawn over whether Labour will try to match the pledge – saying she would not make up policy on air.
Mrs Thornberry – a close ally of Mr Corbyn – said she welcomes the funding pledge, but warned the PM may not be trusted to deliver it and that social care also needs more funding.
She said: ‘They say they are going to increase taxes, we have yet to hear who is going to have a tax increase.
‘They have not said how much more borrowing there will be.’
Quizzing her on Labour’s NHS funding promises, the show’s presenter Mr Marr said: ‘For the first time in modern political history the Conservatives are offering more for the NHS than the Labour Party.’
Mrs Thornberry replied: ‘It goes hand in hand with social care, we have not heard anything about social care….
‘So if you add that on actually you may find that these raw figures don’t quite paint the picture that you’re saying.’
The presenter pressed on saying: ‘The Conservatives are promising a great deal more than the Labour Party.’
The Labour frontbencher looked uncomfortable as she repeatedly refused admit the Labour Party’s funding pledge lacks far behind the Government’s.
She said: ‘People know they can trust the Labour Party with the NHS – we created it…..we have had eight years of underfunding of the NHS and it is no at the point of collapse.
‘The Labour Party will spend what is needed on the NHS.
‘I am not going to be developing Labour Party policy on your programme. Our figures make sense, we have yet to hear the Tory figures.’
But Marr pointed out that under Mr Corbyn Labour was now offering less money for the NHS than the Tories for the first time n the party’s history.
He said: ‘It is extraordinary – you are being very fiscally responsible. You are supposed to be this radical party. You have been overtaken on the Left by Theresa May.
But the shadow minister insisted the country will have to wait to see how the Government’s funds all add up.
Yet an hour later Mr Ashworth appeared on the Sunday Politics programme on the BBC with new spending plans.
He said: ‘At the last election we offered significant upfront investment in the NHS and crucially social care, of around £9bn more in the first year – that’s around five percent.
‘The Tories had a different set of sending plans last year. They have now come forward with new spending plans – so we will match that.
Appearing on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Emily Thornberry (pictured on the show today) repeatedly refused to admit the Tories are promising more money for the NHS than Labour for the first time ever.
Theresa May (pictured with her husband Philip heading to church today in Maidenhead) has announced an extra £20bn for the NHS over the next five years to mark its 70th birthday
‘We will inherit this baseline, if you like, but we are saying we will go further – so the taxation changes we are proposing for the wealthiest in society, and corporation tax, we are still committed to.
‘So actually we will be putting more money into the NHS than the Tories because we accept these new spending projections that the Tories have come forward with, but we will maintain our taxation changes which means we can put more in the NHS.’
The PM appeared on the same show to announce the funding boost for the NHS to mark its 60th birthday.
She said: ‘Some people may remember seeing a figure on the side of a bus a while back of £350 million a week in cash.
‘Well, I can tell you what I am announcing will mean that in 2023-24, there will be about £600 million a week in cash, more in cash, going into the NHS.’
But she warned that borrowing and taxes may also have to rise to bankroll the cash injection.