Another awful day for Andrew Lansley

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

Andrew Lansley has had some bad days recently, but this one might be the worst yet. The Guardian are reporting this morning that the doctor called in by the PM to review the Lansley’s health reforms has dismissed them as “unworkable”, “destabilising” and could “destroy key services”. Professor Steve Field also told the Guardian:

“If you had a free market, that would destroy essential services in very big hospitals but also might destroy the services that need to be provided in small hospitals.”

Labour’s shadow health secretary John Healey said that the reforms had been “shredded by the man appointed to review them.”

That alone would have made this a fairly bleak day for the under-fire health secretary, but there’s another story today that will pile the pressure on him even further.

The Daily Mail reports this morning that Lansley’s wife – a lobbyist – boasts on her website that she can “put clients in touch with ministers”. Whilst the health secretary denies there’s a conflict of interest, Labour MP Grahame Morris is calling for an investigation to see if Mr Lansley has breached the ministerial code of conduct.

There may be a “pause” in the NHS reforms while the government “listens”, but there’s little respite for Lansley, who looks increasingly under pressure.

If you are in London today and want to fight NHS cuts, Ken Livingstone has organised a campaign day, run from Kingston Labour Party offices at 160 London Road, to fight NHS cuts in London.