“Starmer and Streeting Outline Urgent NHS Reforms Amidst Criticism of Tory Legacy”

**Starmer to Critique Tory Impact on NHS and – UK Politics Update** This morning, the Prime Minister is set to deliver a speech following the release of ’s critical report on the NHS. In a series of interviews, emphasized that new funding for the NHS will prioritize primary care and community services over hospitals. Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he outlined the key points of the government's approach. Streeting stated that primary care and community services would be the "first port of call" for any additional NHS funding. He explained, "We’ll be setting out our plans in the budget and the spending review, but effectively it means that when it comes to more resources for the NHS, additional resources going in, the first port of call will be primary care and community services, and social care too, because we’ve got to deal with the systemic problems in our health and care services." He also addressed the delivery of new hospitals promised by the previous government, noting that this would occur at a slower pace than initially planned. "In terms of the schemes that were on what the last government called the , I am determined to deliver those schemes," he said. However, he added, "I might have to do it over a longer period of time because I’ve got to make sure, firstly, the money is there, secondly that the timetables are realistic and we’ve got the supply chain, the labour and the resources that we will need, and thirdly I’ve got to balance the need for new bricks and mortar alongside the need for new technology." Streeting warned that without reform, the NHS could face severe financial difficulties. "If we don’t grasp both the immediate challenge in front of us and deal with the crisis today, but also prepare the NHS for the challenges of the future in terms of an ageing society and rising costs, rather than a country with an NHS, we’re going to have an NHS with a country attached to it if we’re not careful, and more likely an NHS that goes bust," he cautioned. He expressed a commitment to significantly reduce NHS waiting lists by the next election, stating, "I’m going hell for leather to get the NHS back to what’s known as the constitutional standards, the targets it sets for itself, over the five-year period that we committed to, and to make sure that by the end of this parliament we see waiting lists millions lower than they are today." Additionally, Streeting highlighted a £37 billion shortfall in capital investment, which he attributed to the NHS not matching the capital investment levels of peer countries during the 2010s. This funding gap could have addressed backlog maintenance, modernized technology and equipment, and fulfilled the promise of 40 new hospitals that have yet to be realized. It could have also rebuilt or refurbished every GP practice in the country. He concluded by clarifying that changes would not happen all at once, humorously noting, "One is so the chancellor doesn’t have a heart attack over her breakfast this morning with me writing her spending review for her."