Sir Keir Starmer will this morning give a speech on his plans to cut NHS waiting lists – a key election pledge from Labour. Ahead of the address, he has attacked the Tories for the “chronic illness” of the NHS.
Monday 6 January 2025 07:16, UK
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
The prime minister has written an article in The Times laying out his plans for the NHS – and why he believes it is in the situation it is.
Sir Keir Starmer wrote: “The NHS exhibits all the symptoms of chronic illness caused by the Conservative government’s choices.
“Under-resourced. Overstretched. Inefficient. Patients and staff failed.
“Too many doctors, nurses and other dedicated staff are no longer able to give the standard of care they desperately want to.”
The PM says his “prescription” for the NHS includes a plan to “drag” social care out of hospitals and into the community, “harness technology”, “regear” it to improve efficiency, cut “pointless appointments” and give staff “the tools they need to deliver”.
Sir Keir adds “patients must be able to manage appointments, get test results and access help” within an app.
While he says “not everyone will welcome” his plans, the prime minister said he promised change – and he wants to deliver it.
He will be giving more details for his plans in a speech later this morning – follow live in the Politics Hub.
Welcome back to the Politics Hub.
Sir Keir Starmer is giving a speech this morning where he will lay out his plans to reduce waiting lists in the health service, and also improve the NHS in general.
The PM will be hoping to start the new year strong, following his administration drawing criticism at the end of 2024 for its economic policies.
Sir Keir is likely to be asked for his views on Elon Musk, following the Tesla chief’s criticism of his handling of past grooming gang cases.
Mr Musk – who is joining the Trump government when it takes office later this month – has also engaged in a war of words with Reform leader Nigel Farage.
Parliament is returning today as well, following the Christmas recess.
Health minister Karin Smyth is speaking to Sky News just after 7am.
And Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper is on just after 8am.
We’ll be back tomorrow morning for the start of a new week in Westminster – the first Monday of the year.
But until then, you can scroll through the page to catch up on Sunday, and see the highlights from Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips.
Thanks for joining us!
Reform’s deputy leader has praised Elon Musk as “popular” and “appreciated” by the British public – as a government minister criticised the tech tycoon for “ridiculous” and “ill informed” comments on the UK grooming scandal.
Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Richard Tice defended the owner of X and Tesla as “one of the greatest entrepreneurs in history”.
He said he was content to have Mr Musk, who is considering making a donation to Reform UK, support his party, adding: “He has a great interest in and the politics of this country and in the economy growing.”
It comes in contrast to the stance taken by Wes Streeting, the health secretary, who said he was “not interested” in what Mr Musk had to say on the grooming scandal that took place across a swathe of UK towns and cities more than a decade ago.
Girls as young as 11 were groomed and raped across a number of towns in England – including Oldham, Rochdale, Rotherham and Telford – over a decade ago in a national scandal that was exposed in 2013.
Nigel Farage has just responded to a claim from Elon Musk that he “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead Reform UK.
The Reform UK leader said: “Well, this is a surprise!
“Elon is a remarkable individual but on this I am afraid I disagree.”
He added: “My view remains that Tommy Robinson is not right for Reform and I never sell out my principles.”
Mr Musk has endorsed Robinson, who is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence for contempt of court. for “telling the truth” about grooming gangs in the UK, writing on X: “Free Tommy Robinson”.
Yesterday at a Reform party conference, Mr Farage distanced himself from Robinson, saying the jailed activist was “not what we need”.
Robinson – whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – admitted at Woolwich Crown Court in October to breaching an injunction banning him from repeating libellous allegations against a Syrian refugee schoolboy, after he was successfully sued for libel in 2021.
In the last hour, the billionaire businessman said on social media that Reform UK “needs a new leader”.
Mr Musk said: “Farage doesn’t have what it takes.”
In an unusual turn of events, billionaire businessman Elon Musk last week criticised the Labour government’s reluctance to launch an inquiry into the Oldham grooming gangs scandal.
Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, said that while she recognised the “strength of feeling” over the matter, she believed it was for “Oldham Council alone to decide to commission an inquiry into child sexual exploitation locally, rather than for the government to intervene”.
However, Mr Musk, who has spoken positively about Reform UK on X and is reportedly considering making a donation to Nigel Farage’s party, has been critical of the government’s handling of child sexual exploitation across a number of towns and cities more than a decade ago.
He has claimed Sir Keir Starmer had failed to bring “rape gangs” to justice when he led the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
In 2013, Sir Keir introduced new guidelines for how child sexual abuse victims should be treated and how a case should be built and presented in court.
Mr Musk, who will become US president-elect Donald Trump’s efficiency tsar this month, also argued that safeguarding minister Jess Phillips “deserves to be in prison” after she rejected requests from Oldham Council for a national inquiry into instances of child sexual exploitation in the town.
He claimed “the real reason she’s [Ms Phillips] refusing to investigate the rape gangs is that it would obviously lead to the blaming of Keir Stamer (head of the CPS at the time).”
Elon Musk has just insisted that Nigel Farage “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead Reform UK.
Taking to his social media platform X, he said: “The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes.”
It comes shortly after a surprise intervention by the billionaire businessman on Labour’s reluctance to launch an inquiry on grooming gangs in Oldham.
He argued that safeguarding minister Jess Phillips “deserves to be in prison” after she rejected requests from Oldham Council for a national inquiry into instances of child sexual exploitation in the town.
He claimed “the real reason she’s [Ms Phillips] refusing to investigate the rape gangs is that it would obviously lead to the blaming of Keir Stamer (head of the CPS at the time).”
But today, Reform UK leader Mr Farage told the BBC that Mr Musk had used “very tough terms” but that “free speech was back” on X under his ownership.
Mr Farage said “tough things get said… by both sides of the debate”.
He said Mr Musk’s ownership of X makes it a place for “proper open debate”.
The Reform UK leader also said he expected to speak to Mr Musk at the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump on 20 January.
Mr Musk will become the soon-to-be president’s efficiency tsar later this month.
Analysis by Ali Fortescue, political correspondent
Remember Rishi Sunak and Elon Musk’s cosy fireside AI chat not so long ago?
How much has changed since then.
Politicians came out swinging in all directions this morning on the subject of Elon Musk.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting says he is “not interested” in the tech billionaire’s views and called him “ill informed”.
Deputy leader of Reform UK Richard Tice instead called him “popular, appreciated by many, many people in this country”.
Views may differ, but why is a US entrepreneur once again dominating the political conversation in the UK?
He has shown a relentless willingness to spend time attacking the British government, wading in on a whole range of issues to his 210.8 million followers on X.
But it is hard to predict where Mr Musk will go next, and that makes things difficult for all parties – even Reform UK.
He has not just shown support for Nigel Farage, but recently Tommy Robinson too, someone Mr Farage has been keen to distance himself from over the years.
The Reform UK leader carefully navigated questions about Mr Musk on Friday, but any deal on money flowing from Mr Musk to Reform UK won’t be totally straightforward.
This row about Jess Philips is of course fundamentally about something much more serious. Child sexual exploitation, grooming gangs allowed to target young women in places like Rochdale.
Once again though British political debate is focused on Elon Musk’s words.
With Labour’s general election victory in the rearview mirror, eyes are turning to the next battle: who will be the party’s next candidate for London mayor.
Sadiq Khan has not said whether he will seek a historic fourth term as London mayor, but already within Labour names are beginning to emerge as potential successors should he decide not to stand again.
Those who have been tipped as potential runners in the race include Stella Creasy, Labour MP for Walthamstow, Florence Eshalomi, Labour MP for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green, and Dawn Butler, Labour MP for Brent East and former shadow minister.
Tap the link below to read all about the possible contenders from our political reporter Alexandra Rogers:
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
