In an unusually successful piece of political choreography, moments after the prime minister had finished a speech in Hull on the “flabby and unresponsive” state and dramatically declared the abolition of NHS England, his health secretary was on his feet in the Commons setting about the task.
As is his distinctly unflabby and responsive style, Wes Streeting didn’t hold anything back. He declared that thousands of individuals at NHS England would lose their jobs. The transition will take two years and yield “hundreds of millions” of pounds in savings. The opposition benches didn’t put up much resistance, and any necessary primary legislation should find an easy parliamentary passage. Change is on its way.
