Tory Reform Group response to Ed Miliband

Nik Darlington and Alexander Pannett 2.15pm

Today, Ed Miliband claimed that the Tory Reform Group was against reform of the NHS.

Mr Miliband was referring to an article written by Craig Barrett, an independent contributor to Egremont, who suggested that Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, should accept defeat over the Health & Social Care Bill.

Contrary to Mr Miliband’s claims, Craig’s article specifically encourages NHS reforms:

“We ought not consider the NHS purely in financial terms because the benefits to the nation’s health and well-being must outweigh the mere cost. Yet that is not an argument for it to remain unchallenged or unreformed. The NHS must be continually analysed and rationalised to ensure that it is fit for purpose in the modern world.”

In a further response, Tim Crockford, TRG Chairman, has the following comments for Ed Miliband:

“The Tory Reform Group supports the health reforms and competition within the NHS. For 13 years, the Labour Party failed to make the proper and necessary reforms to our NHS.

The statement by Ed Miliband at today’s Prime Minister Question Time, as to the view of the Tory Reform Group, is false and a complete misrepresentation. Quoting an extract from an article by a TRG blog contributor and attributing this to the Tory Reform Group is further evidence of how desperate Ed Milliband and the Labour Party have become.”

Victoria Roberts, TRG Deputy Chairman, said:

“Ed Miliband has misrepresented the TRG in a desperate attempt to gain credibility for his own misguided plans or indeed lack of plans.

The TRG has been a staunch supporter of David Cameron and the Coalition’s proposals - we were the first group publicly to call for the coalition to be formed. We have long supported reform of our public services to improve service delivery and standards.

Competition is vital to that reform. Miliband’s opposition to competition - cloaked as it is in protests about the costs of structural change - just demonstrates his utter failure to grasp the magnitude of the issues facing our NHS. Does he have any proposals on how to tackle the cost of ageing and the cost of inefficiencies? Perhaps his time would be better spent thinking of answers to those questions rather than practising quips drafted for him by his researcher to recite at PMQs.”