Party Lines: December 14th

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

Speaking to BBC News this afternoon, shadow health secretary John Healey said that the Tories have “no plan” for dealing with the financial squeeze on the NHS:

“Andrew Lansley has no plan for dealing with the big financial squeeze on the NHS and other things he is doing are making things worse, including the huge internal organisation, which is going to be high cost and high risk and a big distraction from what this committee says in the main challenge which is dealing with these pressures.”

Ed Balls revealed the true impact that funding cuts will have on police forces – with urban areas to be hardest hit:

“The government tried to hide the true impact of the cuts it was imposing on police forces by failing to take into account the impact of inflation. But this analysis from the House of Commons library shows that police forces face huge cuts – 15% in real terms over just two years.”

“And to make matter worse forces in urban areas, which are historically more reliant on central government funding, will be hardest hit compared to areas like Surrey.”

And Andy Burnham once again defended EMA, calling it a “lifeline for young people”:

“EMA is a lifeline for young people, sending them the message that success is possible, whatever their background. Alongside the trebling of tuition fees, this is a double betrayal from a Government that promised to keep EMA before the election. The IFS have confirmed that EMA is a bargain – an investment that we see returned over a lifetime.”

“But instead of investing in our young people to help them get on in life, the Government has chosen to kick away the ladder.”