Sir Keir Starmer will warn the NHS must "reform or die", as the government publishes an independent investigation into the state of the health service. The report - ordered by Health Secretary Wes Streeting days after he took on the role - was carried out by peer and surgeon Lord Darzi.
Thursday 12 September 2024 10:31, UK
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Watch Sky News livePrime Minister Keir Starmer was just on his feet in central London, where he set out his plan to reform the NHS.
Last night, a report into the state of the NHS by Lord Darzi - completed in just nine weeks - warned that the health service is "in serious trouble".
Here are the highlights of what Sir Keir had to say:
Some 2,738 patients in England had been waiting more than 18 months to start routine treatment at the end of July, up from 2,621 in June.
The government and NHS England set the ambition of eliminating all waits of more than 18 months by April 2023, excluding exceptionally complex cases or patients who choose to wait longer.
There were 50,860 patients who had been waiting more than 65 weeks to start treatment at the end of July, down from 58,024 in June.
The target to eliminate all waits of more than 65 weeks is now September 2024, having previously been March 2024.
The data comes shortly before Prime Minister Keir Starmer is due to set out his plans to "fix the broken NHS" in the wake of a damning report into the state of the health service.
MPs could face crackdown on hosting TV shows under new rulesMPs could face a crackdown on paid TV appearances under new rules to restore trust in parliament.
The newly formed modernisation committee today published a memorandum agreeing to tighten rules on second jobs.
The committee was promised in Labour's manifesto and is tasked with reforming House of Commons procedures and driving up standards.
MPs in the group, which met for the first time yesterday, said an early priority would be to look at outside paid engagements such as media appearances.
The committee said it "should consider what advantages, if any, outside paid engagements such as media appearances, journalism and speeches furnish to the public, versus the potential conflicts of interest and attention that arise from such paid endeavours".
The group hopes to "consult closely with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, who is best placed to advise on the practicability of any further changes to the rules governing members' outside interests".
Channels including GB News and LBC have shows hosted by serving MPs.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, for example, presents a show on GB News, as does Reform MP Lee Anderson.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy previously hosted an LBC radio show while in opposition but gave that up before the general election in July.
Watch: The state of the UK economyThere was no growth in the UK economy in July, official figures show.
It's the second month of stagnation, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said as GDP - the measure of everything produced in the UK - flatlined in the weeks following the election of the Labour government.
The flatline was not expected by economists, who had anticipated growth.
Our business correspondent Paul Kelso reports on the state of the UK economy:
Hunt: Labour's 'black hole narrative is falling to pieces'You may now be familiar with Labour's claim that decisions made around the winter fuel payment are due to a £22bn "black hole" in public finances.
This, the government claims, was caused by unfunded spending by the previous Conservative government - who in turn deny it exists.
Jeremy Hunt, the shadow chancellor, has now claimed that this "bogus" claim is "falling apart" - as Labour are "admitting they can't provide basic details because they aren't sure they're accurate".
He said: "It's clear that this fictitious 'black hole' is purely of Labour's own making - simply a political smokescreen for their public sector pay awards.
"The public won't be fooled by this shameless pre-text for tax rises."
What is Labour's Renters Rights Bill - and will it end no-fault evictions?The Renters Reform Bill is back in the Commons, five years and four prime ministers after it was first promised.
This time it's Labour's version - with the new party of government vowing to improve and complete the set of proposals the Tories pledged, then watered down, and then abandoned altogether before the general election.
Now, it is being called the Renters Rights Bill, and it aims to "decisively level the playing field between landlords and tenants", according to housing minister Matthew Pennycook.
Below, Sky's Sophy Ridge takes a look at what will be in the legislation - and you can read more from our politics reporter Faye Brown here.
Atkins 'very concerned' about Labour's 'first steps' around the NHSVictoria Atkins, the shadow health secretary, has said she is "very concerned" about the Labour government's "first steps" in relation to the NHS.
She said she was "clear" when running the Department of Health that she "wanted to reform the NHS, to make it faster, simpler and fairer".
But, Ms Atkins said, "the way that we do that is to marry reform with investment".
She told Sky News: "I'm very concerned by the Labour government's first steps."
The former minister said she is hearing that the Conservative productivity plan could be scrapped, adding: "We don't know what they're going to do with the long term workforce plan."
Ms Atkins added: "We all know that the NHS is struggling with some of the pressures that we see in our society, including the fact that we're all living longer.
"We're living longer with multiple conditions, that's putting pressure on the NHS.
"But also wider societal pressures, such as the impact of social media on the development of some young minds."
Asked about claims that the NHS was not in a fit state to deal with the COVID pandemic, Ms Atkins said that productivity "was improving" ahead of the crisis.
Who's left in the Tory leadership contest - and how will it play out?The Conservative leadership competition is approaching the crunch point.
In the first round of voting by Tory MPs last week, the former home secretary Dame Priti Patel was voted out.
A second vote took place on Tuesday evening, in which former work and pensions secretary Mel Stride was eliminated.
Here's a reminder of who's left vying for Rishi Sunak's job:
James Cleverly
Mr Cleverly became the first to officially enter the contest with a post on social media, saying he wanted to "re-establish our reputation as the party who, in government, helps grow the economy".
The Essex MP, who was home secretary until the last election, is one of the Tories' most experienced former cabinet ministers, having also been foreign secretary, education secretary and party chairman.
Tom Tugendhat
Mr Tugendhat was the second Tory to put himself forward, just moments after nominations opened.
The former security minister is regarded highly among the One Nation group of moderate Tory MPs.
Robert Jenrick
The former immigration minister was the third to announce he was running, after Mr Cleverly and Mr Tugendhat.
Mr Jenrick held several ministerial roles, including communities secretary - a position he lost in one of Mr Johnson's reshuffles.
Kemi Badenoch
Mrs Badenoch, the ex-business secretary, was the final Tory to announce she was standing.
She is seen as a darling of the right and has impressed some in the party with her no-nonsense approach.
What happens next?
Later this month, the remaining candidates will give speeches to the party's conference, setting out their stalls to both MPs and party members.
MPs will then vote again to narrow the field to two candidates.
The party's wider membership will then vote, with the winner announced on 2 November.
Politics at Jack and Sam's: Did the Tories break the NHS?Sky News' deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico's Jack Blanchard are back with their daily guide to the day ahead in politics in under 20 minutes.
On the last day before recess in the Commons Jack and Sam discuss the toplines of the Darzi report, which paints a bleak picture of the state of the NHS, and what needs to change to reform our healthcare.
Plus, they ask if Sir Keir Starmer has been too doom and gloom, scaring off investment for the country on the day he flies to the US to meet Joe Biden to finalise unconfirmed plans that could see Ukraine allowed to fire long-range missiles into Russia.
You can now send a WhatsApp to Jack and Sam on 07511 867 633 or email them: jackandsam@sky.uk
Conservatives 'squandered' a 'golden inheritance' on the NHS - StreetingHealth Secretary Wes Streeting has accused the Conservatives of "squandering" a "golden inheritance" on the NHS when they came into office in 2010.
The minister told Sky News that Tony Blair's action on the health service left the NHS with the lowest waiting times and highest patient satisfaction in years.
He described this as a "golden inheritance", and claimed that 14 years of Conservative government "squandered it".
Mr Streeting was appearing on Sky News after the publication of Lord Darzi's report into the state of the NHS, which claimed the service is in "critical condition".
He said the NHS needs "three big shifts fundamentally".
"A shift from our hospital to community - so we get to people earlier, diagnose faster. Better for them, better for taxpayers," Mr Streeting said.
"A shift from analogue to digital so that patients can use health services and care services with the same ease and convenience we can elsewhere in our lives.
"And thirdly [we need to] deal with the sickness in our society that sees people living longer, but becoming sicker earlier."
He told Kay Burley that the NHS is in this position "because of a decade of under investment, particularly in technology, where we're 15 years behind the private sector".
Mr Streeting also said he was "shocked" that the UK was "far worse hit by the pandemic in terms of cancellations of operations and procedures because of what led up to the pandemic.
"Not just failing to fix the roof while the sun was shining, but effectively pouring petrol on the house, turning the gas on and then the pandemic lit the match."
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