It is hard not to conclude that Ed Miliband won the major clash of the day at PMQs* over the direction of NHS reform.
David Cameron cited today’s letter to the Telegraph from 42 GPs, saying they wanted what they called “evolution not revolution”.(They are all heads of recently-formed GPs’ consortia).
Miliband’s rebuttal was that a rather more significant letter had been published criticising the coalition’s reforms – from the Royal College of GPs, which has 42,000 members.
Meanwhile Political Scrapbook points out that the letter in the Telegraph was arranged by a former Tory mayor who has been trying to drum up supportive GPs for a month or so.
The sparks also flew as Miliband claimed that waiting times on the NHS are rising – a charge denied furiously by Cameron. Who was right? Cathy Newman’s Factcheck has the answer.
* But was he wise to tell the PM to “calm down dear” having Labour took the moral high ground when Cameron used the phrase a few weeks ago?
Jim Pickard
Kiran Stacey