The Chancellor Rachel Reeves has paused the hospital building programme, a previous election pledge from the Conservatives, while a full review is conducted. She emphasised the need for the programme to be realistic and thoroughly budgeted.
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Reeves introduced spending cuts last week while criticising the previous Conservative government for allegedly obscuring the true state of public finances, leaving Labour no option but to cut costs.
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The National Audit Office (NAO) reported last year that only 32 of the 40 hospitals promised by former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson were on track to be completed by 2030. Johnson made the commitment of 40 new hospitals in England by 2030 as part of a 2019 election pledge, but this promise has faced criticism as some projects involved renovations of existing hospitals.
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The NHS Confederation stated that the pause “must be as short as possible” if Labour are to deliver on their pledges to drive down waiting lists.
