PM'S PROMISE
Boris Johnson will guarantee his £34billion NHS spending pledge by putting it into law next week
BORIS Johnson will make his NHS spending pledge a cast-iron guarantee this week – by writing it into law.
The PM will make it a legal requirement for him to keep his promise to boost funding by £33.9billion a year.
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The bold gesture – the first made by any government – will convince doubters of his determination to make the health service a top priority over the next five years.
Mr Johnson wants to build on his stunning general election victory by proving to those who voted Tory for the first time that he can really be trusted.
He hopes it will cement his foothold in Labour heartlands where he bulldozed the “red wall” to win working-class Northern seats for the first time.
The NHS law is among a wave of measures to be unveiled in the Queen’s Speech on Thursday as the PM goes flat out to deliver on his election pledges.
It will herald a long-awaited return to domestic issues the public have been longing for, including:
- LIMITS on disruption striking transport unions can inflict on long-suffering commuters.
- TOUGHER sentences for terrorists and violent or sexual offenders plus an end to their automatic early release from prison.
- BETTER protection from rogue landlords for tenants.
- BANNING local councils from boycotting products from other countries, including Israel.
- FRESH action to strengthen the United Kingdom, including extensive talks before Christmas on the governance of Northern Ireland and the restoration of Stormont assembly.
- GETTING Brexit done by bringing his deal back to the Commons for a vote before the festive break.
Mr Johnson said yesterday: “Our job is to serve the people of this country and to deliver on our priorities.
Our priorities and their priorities are the same.
“It is getting Brexit done, but it is also delivering on our NHS, our education, safer streets, better hospitals, a better future for our country.”
The PM said he had heard “loud and clear” that the NHS was an overwhelming priority for the British people.
The Queen’s Speech will go a step further with a sweeping gesture to enshrine in law the multi-year financial commitment to the NHS.
It will outflank Labour – and nail their lies about selling off the cherished service – by giving the government a legal duty to provide a £33.9billion a year increase in NHS budgets by 2023-4.
Mr Johnson hopes the move may help to steal Labour’s mantle of being the party of the NHS.
He is also determined to make sure hard-working families can get to their jobs with minimum disruption.
His government programme is expecting to include a commitment to a minimum transport service during strikes.
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A Number 10 source said last night: “This election was as much about delivering on the people’s priorities as it was about getting Brexit done – and the Prime Minister understands that.
“We will show the public, especially Labour voters who trusted us with their votes, that we will deliver on the promises we have made on helping with the cost of living, tackling crime and supporting our NHS.
“This starts with making sure the NHS has the funding it needs to carry on being the best healthcare service in the world. It is one of the key priorities of the people’s government.”
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