Nothing is off the table with NHS reform plans, says Keir Starmer

Labor will need at least a decade in power to repair the troubled NHS and faltering economy, says Sir Keir Starmer.

And when it comes to reforming the healthcare system, no options are off the table, said the party leader. He also refused to rule out patients paying for medical care through insurance.

“If we don’t reform the NHS, we will see a controlled decline… it will die,” he told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg.

“It must always be free at the point of use and should be a public service. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use the private sector as well,” he added.

The opposition leader outlined his vision days after he blasted “bureaucratic nonsense” that prevents patients from turning to specialists.

He spoke out as data shows ambulance and emergency room wait times are at record highs.

When asked if he could be trusted as Prime Minister after backtracking on promises he made in his 2020 Labor leadership election, he said he needed a “clean slate” ahead of the next general election.

“We will inherit a weakened, damaged economy. We will not be able to do everything we need to do in the first five years of a Labor government,” he added.

The former Remainer also insisted Britain could be more prosperous outside the EU “as long as we improve the deal we have”.

“The economy has not grown significantly in 13 years. So we had a failure under this Tory government even before Brexit. I’m determined to fix that,” he said.

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