Professor Robert Winston leads attack on Cameron’s betrayal of the NHS in Labour's Party Election Broadcast

Professor Lord Robert Winston will present Labour’s first English local elections Party Election Broadcast tomorrow, attacking David Cameron’s betrayal of the NHS.

Lord Winston, who is Professor of Science & Society and Emeritus Professor of Fertility Studies at Imperial College and widely respected as a presenter of popular science programmes like the BAFTA-winning documentary The Human Body, says in the broadcast:

“I would never dream normally of doing an election broadcast, for any particular political party, even though I believe passionately in Labour values. But I’m so angry about the way the National Health Service is going, I feel so strongly about what is happening, I feel that I need to stand up and say very clearly why it’s important to vote Labour.

“Before the General Election, David Cameron said he could be trusted with the NHS, he said he’d protect the frontline at all costs. We now know that wasn’t true. When he still needed your vote, David Cameron promised no more top-down reorganisations of the heath service - and he wrote that pledge into the Coalition Agreement in black and white.

"As soon as David Cameron got in, he launched the biggest top-down reorganisation in the history of the NHS.

“In these local elections, people can vote for the National Health Service, to protect it, to improve it. Labour would get back to reducing waiting times, improving the quality of care and would stop nurses being laid off.”

Tom Watson MP, Labour’s Local Election Campaign Co-ordinator said:

“The election broadcast focuses on three of David Cameron’s broken promises on the NHS: on top-down re-organisations, on protecting the frontline and his pledges on A&E and maternity services - be cause nothing demonstrates more clearly how out of touch David Cameron is than his record on the NHS.

“As Lord Winston himself says, this isn’t the kind of thing he normally does. But this shows how seriously professionals, patients and the public are taking David Cameron’s betrayal of the NHS.”

Andy Burnham MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, speaking about the recently-passed Health and Social Care Act, said:

"The argument in Parliament may be over but we are now taking the battle for the NHS to every town, street and doorstep. The NHS is heading in the wrong direction. But, rather than sitting on the sidelines waiting for things to go wrong, we will be working in every community to limit the damage. L abour mayors and councils committed to the ‘NHS Pledge' will be the last line of defence in that fight.

"David Cameron was explicitly warned by GPs, nurses and midwives about the damage his NHS re-organisation would cause. Sadly, he ploughed on regardless, putting his own political pride before the best interests of the health service. Patients are beginning to pay the price, as the effects of the Government's NHS chaos hit the ground. People will not forgive David Cameron for what he's done to our country's most-valued institution."

Ends