NHS spending rise lags behind Tory funding pledges, IFS finds

The IFS said the NHS was in a poor state of repair due to a lack of investment over the past decade and a half. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

Spending on the NHS in England has risen less quickly than the Conservatives promised at the last election despite the extra demand created by the pandemic and record waiting lists, a leading thinktank has said.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said increases in funding from the government had been eaten up by higher than expected inflation and, as a result, NHS day-to-day spending had grown by 2.7% a year during the current parliament – below the 3.3% pledged by Boris Johnson in 2019.