Labour Budget Boosts NHS Funding, Ends Junior Doctors' Strikes
Health Secretary Wes Streeting pledges increased NHS spending and hospital rebuilding, while addressing national insurance concerns.
- Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a significant real-terms increase in NHS spending, totaling £22.6 billion, with an additional £3.1 billion for capital investment.
- Health Secretary Wes Streeting emphasized that this winter will see NHS staff working rather than striking, following the resolution of the junior doctors' pay dispute.
- Labour committed to rebuilding hospitals affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, countering previous Conservative promises.
- The rise in employer national insurance contributions has raised concerns about potential financial strain on GP surgeries, hospices, and social care providers.
- Critics, including Conservative MPs, have labeled the Budget as high-tax and high-spending, arguing it could negatively impact the country's economic health.
Evening Standard 