Swinney: Labour and Tories 'a threat' to NHS in Scotland
Katie Hunter
Reporting from Moray
BBCCopyright: BBC
SNP
leader John Swinney is back on the election campaign trail after his visit to
Germany for Scotland’s opening match at the men’s Euros.
He’s
in a very wet Moray this morning at a cancer charity event.
The
SNP has repeatedly accused the Conservatives and Labour of not being honest
about the scale of public spending cuts that will follow the general election.
Responding
to research from the Nuffield Trust, which said that the main UK parties needed to
set out more credible plans for the NHS, Swinney said: "It's increasingly clear the Labour Party and
the Tories are both a threat to Scotland's NHS.”
Health
is a devolved matter for ministers in Edinburgh but spending decisions at
Westminster do impact the Scottish government’s budget.
Opposition parties at Holyrood are critical of the
SNP’s record on health in Scotland.
A busy morning of political interviews
Nadia Ragozhina
Live page editor
Well that was a busy few hours, as we brought you Laura Kuenssberg's political interviews.
On this morning's programme, we heard from shadow health secretary Wes Streeting, Transport Secretary Mark Harper, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth.
To catch up on all their interviews and our analysis, scroll down the page.
We are now going to turn our attention to some of the other parties and issues - including the SNP leader, John Swinney, who's back on the election trail after attending Scotland's 5-1 defeat to Germany at Euro 2024 on Friday.
Stay with us.
NHS strikes loom in England
Jim Reed
Senior health reporter
In media interviews this morning, shadow health secretary
Wes Streeting has been pressing junior doctors to call off a five-day strike in
England planned for the week before the election.
As things stand juniors, who make up about half of all
doctors in NHS hospitals, are due to walk out from 07:00 on 27 June until 07:00 on
2 July, exactly 48 hours before the polls open.
Speaking to Laura Kuenssberg, Streeting said he had been
speaking “directly” to the doctors’ union, the BMA, about this.
“Let’s be honest, the government is not going to resolve
these strikes before polling day,” he said.
“All that will happen is patients are going to suffer more
delays and cancellations to their appointments, and junior doctors will lose
money from their pockets.”
He added that one of his “first calls” if Labour won the
election would be to junior doctors’ representatives to restart pay
negotiations.
The Conservative health minister Victoria Atkins has also
called on junior doctors to “see sense” and call off strike action, after talks
with the government broke down last month, calling the move “deeply cynical”.
What we learnt from today's political interviews
Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting repeated Labour's promises for £2bn more NHS funding and 40,000 extra appointments. Asked about the think tanks that say their sums don't add up, he said the Labour manifesto was “not a spending review”, implying there could be more spending "if conditions allow". He also said Labour's plans did not require an increase in council tax - something the Tories have been suggesting
Transport Secretary Mark Harper was pressed on whether his party was admitting defeat. If you don’t want a Labour huge majority you need to vote Conservative, he said. Laura also asked him about the Tory MPs who were avoiding Conservative branding in their leaflets. He rejected that and said if you want to control taxes and have lower migration, vote Tory
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey was asked about the spate of stunts he's been up to during his campaign. "Some of our viewers think it looks daft," Laura said - before playing a clip from wrongly convicted postmaster Lee Castleton. Davey - who was Post Office minister while the Horizon scandal unfolded - replied that his party was managing to engage people
Turning to the leader of Plaid Cymru, Rhun ap Iorwerth, Laura asked him why the manifesto didn't have a more explicit timetable for Welsh independence. He said this was not the right moment, and it was for the Welsh people to set a timetable
60 seconds with John Curtice
Earlier on, the BBC's polling guru Sir John Curtice took us through a 60-second snapshot of the state of the polls.
He mentioned one YouGov poll that "stole the headlines", putting Reform UK one point ahead of the Conservatives.
He also said support for the Tories was now at its lowest level in British polling history. On Labour, support was down two points this week, he said, while the Lib Dems are up in every poll this week.
You can watch his full take here:
Video content
Video caption: Reform on the rise: Polling guru looks at this week's figuresReform on the rise: Polling guru looks at this week's figures
75 minutes is done - but this page is not over yet...
And that brings this week's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg to an end after 75 minutes filled with political guests from different parties.
Stay with us and we'll bring you a recap shortly and further news and analysis into this afternoon.
Ap Iorwerth criticises Labour for rejecting Plaid carbon targets
He says "we have to be setting the bar high", and criticises Labour for rejecting Plaid Cymru's plans.
Post update
Ap Iorwerth is asked about his calls for £4bn from the UK government after part of HS2 was scrapped - earlier in the episode Transport Secretary Mark Harper dismissed the idea.
The Plaid Cymru leader says money was given to Scotland and Northern Ireland.
He repeats that HS2 was "designated" as a project for England and Wales, without a "centimetre of track" in Wales.
Ap Iorwerth adds that the money would be beneficial for the country, saying "imagine what we could do" with £4bn.
'This isn't an independence election' - Plaid leader
Laura beings by asking Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth why they have "backed off" calling for a referendum on Welsh independence - the manifesto only calls for a timescale, while previous manifestos have explicitly called for independence.
He replies that it's in the hands of Wales what the timescale is. But this isn't an independence election, he accepts.
Plaid Cymru leader is up
BBCCopyright: BBC
Last but not least, we are now hearing from Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Watch his interview live in our stream by pressing Play at the top of the page.
Post update
As a final question, Laura asks Davey whether he thinks the Lib Dems are now to the left of the Labour party.
Davey insists: "We are the Liberal Democrats", adding he is proud of their manifesto and encourages voters to look at their local Lib Dem candidate and they can get a "local champion" with a strong national voice.
Post update
Davey is now pressed on his time as part of the coalition government, from 2010 to 2015.
Laura puts it to him that during that period, real-term spending on adult social care fell. Do you regret being part of those decisions, she asks.
Davey says there were difficult decisions and the Lib Dems fought the Tories every day in government.
'I was lied to' by the Post Office, Davey says
Pressed on his party's proposal for a new office for whistle-blowers, Davey is asked how he could be trusted to deliver this, since he served as Post Office minister during the Horizon scandal.
Davey says a whistle-blower was "key" to unveiling the scandal in the first place.
He adds that he was the first minister to meet campaigner and former sub-postmaster Sir Alan Bates, and raised his concerns to the Post Office.
But Davey says he was "lied to" by the Post Office - just like the sub-postmasters, judges and the courts were, he says.
Post Office victim presses Davey on 'buffoonery'
Laura asks Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey about the spate of stunts - paddle-boarding, riding on a rollercoaster for example - during his campaigning.
Some of our viewers say the stunts look daft, she says - one of them is Lee Castleton, a wrongly accused former sub-postmaster (Davey was Post Office minister when sub-postmasters were being wrongly prosecuted).
Laura plays a clip of Castleton who says trust is important, and we don't want "more buffoonery".
Davey says "his heart goes out" to Post Office victims - but on the stunts, the key is engaging people, and they have managed to do that, he says.
Video content
Video caption: Ed Davey says stunts are to showcase policiesEd Davey says stunts are to showcase policies
Ed Davey is up next
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey will now face questions from Laura.
A reminder, you can watch along live by clicking the Play button above.
BBCCopyright: BBC
Analysis
Streeting: Labour manifesto 'not a spending review'
Jim Reed
Senior health reporter
It was interesting that Wes Streeting pointedly said in that
interview that the Labour manifesto was “not a spending review”, suggesting
more money could be available for the NHS if Labour was to win the next
election.
He was responding to criticism from the Nuffield Trust, a
health think tank, saying that all the major parties needed to set out more
credible plans for NHS spending.
Labour has said that £2 billion of extra funding each year
would go towards tackling waiting lists and extra dental appointments, paid for
by closing tax loopholes.
But Nuffield and others, including the Institute for Fiscal
Studies, have said plans from both Labour and the Conservatives to increase the
number of doctors and nurses and build more hospitals in England would “almost
certainly” need much more cash.
Health is a devolved power but, under the Barnett formula of
funding, any extra money for the NHS in England would also have to be reflected
in similar payments to the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern
Ireland.
Harper says HS2 is classed as an "England and Wales project", but says it's not true that savings from the scrapped line aren't being spent in Wales.
He says £1bn of the money coming from the cancellation of part of the project will go on electrifying the North Wales main line - which, he says, Labour wouldn't do.
He repeats that he doesn't accept Plaid's £4bn figure - we'll hear from Plaid's Rhun ap Iorwerth later.
He repeats his line that only Keir Starmer or Rishi Sunak can be PM after the election, adding that the Labour leader won't cut migration or taxes.
BBCCopyright: BBC
Post update
Harper says "a lot" of people haven't made their minds up yet, adding that his party have set out a "clear programme for government", that is fully costed.
Harper then refers back to the interview with Wes Streeting earlier in the show, saying he believes it shows Labour's manifesto is just a document "to get them through the election campaign".
They're "not being clear" about how they'll fund it, he says.
Streeting earlier said Labour's plans were fully costed, and said Labour wouldn't need to put up council tax.
Harper asked: Are Conservatives admitting defeat with their campaign messaging?
Harper says if you look at the polls, that's what you'd get. We're saying to people, is that you want? If you don’t want a Labour huge majority you need vote Conservative, he adds.
Video content
Video caption: Mark Harper asked if Tories are 'admitting defeat'Mark Harper asked if Tories are 'admitting defeat'
Live Reporting
Edited by Aoife Walsh
All times stated are UK
Swinney: Labour and Tories 'a threat' to NHS in Scotland
Katie Hunter
Reporting from Moray
SNP leader John Swinney is back on the election campaign trail after his visit to Germany for Scotland’s opening match at the men’s Euros.
He’s in a very wet Moray this morning at a cancer charity event.
The SNP has repeatedly accused the Conservatives and Labour of not being honest about the scale of public spending cuts that will follow the general election.
Responding to research from the Nuffield Trust, which said that the main UK parties needed to set out more credible plans for the NHS, Swinney said: "It's increasingly clear the Labour Party and the Tories are both a threat to Scotland's NHS.”
Health is a devolved matter for ministers in Edinburgh but spending decisions at Westminster do impact the Scottish government’s budget.
Opposition parties at Holyrood are critical of the SNP’s record on health in Scotland.
A busy morning of political interviews
Nadia Ragozhina
Live page editor
Well that was a busy few hours, as we brought you Laura Kuenssberg's political interviews.
On this morning's programme, we heard from shadow health secretary Wes Streeting, Transport Secretary Mark Harper, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth.
To catch up on all their interviews and our analysis, scroll down the page.
We are now going to turn our attention to some of the other parties and issues - including the SNP leader, John Swinney, who's back on the election trail after attending Scotland's 5-1 defeat to Germany at Euro 2024 on Friday.
Stay with us.
NHS strikes loom in England
Jim Reed
Senior health reporter
In media interviews this morning, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting has been pressing junior doctors to call off a five-day strike in England planned for the week before the election.
As things stand juniors, who make up about half of all doctors in NHS hospitals, are due to walk out from 07:00 on 27 June until 07:00 on 2 July, exactly 48 hours before the polls open.
Speaking to Laura Kuenssberg, Streeting said he had been speaking “directly” to the doctors’ union, the BMA, about this.
“Let’s be honest, the government is not going to resolve these strikes before polling day,” he said.
“All that will happen is patients are going to suffer more delays and cancellations to their appointments, and junior doctors will lose money from their pockets.”
He added that one of his “first calls” if Labour won the election would be to junior doctors’ representatives to restart pay negotiations.
The Conservative health minister Victoria Atkins has also called on junior doctors to “see sense” and call off strike action, after talks with the government broke down last month, calling the move “deeply cynical”.
What we learnt from today's political interviews
60 seconds with John Curtice
Earlier on, the BBC's polling guru Sir John Curtice took us through a 60-second snapshot of the state of the polls.
He mentioned one YouGov poll that "stole the headlines", putting Reform UK one point ahead of the Conservatives.
He also said support for the Tories was now at its lowest level in British polling history. On Labour, support was down two points this week, he said, while the Lib Dems are up in every poll this week.
You can watch his full take here:
Video content
75 minutes is done - but this page is not over yet...
And that brings this week's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg to an end after 75 minutes filled with political guests from different parties.
Stay with us and we'll bring you a recap shortly and further news and analysis into this afternoon.
Ap Iorwerth criticises Labour for rejecting Plaid carbon targets
Finally, ap Iorwerth is asked whether his party's pledge to reach Net Zero carbon emissions by 2035 is realistic.
He says "we have to be setting the bar high", and criticises Labour for rejecting Plaid Cymru's plans.
Post update
Ap Iorwerth is asked about his calls for £4bn from the UK government after part of HS2 was scrapped - earlier in the episode Transport Secretary Mark Harper dismissed the idea.
The Plaid Cymru leader says money was given to Scotland and Northern Ireland.
He repeats that HS2 was "designated" as a project for England and Wales, without a "centimetre of track" in Wales.
Ap Iorwerth adds that the money would be beneficial for the country, saying "imagine what we could do" with £4bn.
'This isn't an independence election' - Plaid leader
Laura beings by asking Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth why they have "backed off" calling for a referendum on Welsh independence - the manifesto only calls for a timescale, while previous manifestos have explicitly called for independence.
He replies that it's in the hands of Wales what the timescale is. But this isn't an independence election, he accepts.
Plaid Cymru leader is up
Last but not least, we are now hearing from Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Watch his interview live in our stream by pressing Play at the top of the page.
Post update
As a final question, Laura asks Davey whether he thinks the Lib Dems are now to the left of the Labour party.
Davey insists: "We are the Liberal Democrats", adding he is proud of their manifesto and encourages voters to look at their local Lib Dem candidate and they can get a "local champion" with a strong national voice.
Post update
Davey is now pressed on his time as part of the coalition government, from 2010 to 2015.
Laura puts it to him that during that period, real-term spending on adult social care fell. Do you regret being part of those decisions, she asks.
Davey says there were difficult decisions and the Lib Dems fought the Tories every day in government.
'I was lied to' by the Post Office, Davey says
Pressed on his party's proposal for a new office for whistle-blowers, Davey is asked how he could be trusted to deliver this, since he served as Post Office minister during the Horizon scandal.
Davey says a whistle-blower was "key" to unveiling the scandal in the first place.
He adds that he was the first minister to meet campaigner and former sub-postmaster Sir Alan Bates, and raised his concerns to the Post Office.
But Davey says he was "lied to" by the Post Office - just like the sub-postmasters, judges and the courts were, he says.
Post Office victim presses Davey on 'buffoonery'
Laura asks Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey about the spate of stunts - paddle-boarding, riding on a rollercoaster for example - during his campaigning.
Some of our viewers say the stunts look daft, she says - one of them is Lee Castleton, a wrongly accused former sub-postmaster (Davey was Post Office minister when sub-postmasters were being wrongly prosecuted).
Laura plays a clip of Castleton who says trust is important, and we don't want "more buffoonery".
Davey says "his heart goes out" to Post Office victims - but on the stunts, the key is engaging people, and they have managed to do that, he says.
Video content
Ed Davey is up next
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey will now face questions from Laura.
A reminder, you can watch along live by clicking the Play button above.
Streeting: Labour manifesto 'not a spending review'
Jim Reed
Senior health reporter
It was interesting that Wes Streeting pointedly said in that interview that the Labour manifesto was “not a spending review”, suggesting more money could be available for the NHS if Labour was to win the next election.
He was responding to criticism from the Nuffield Trust, a health think tank, saying that all the major parties needed to set out more credible plans for NHS spending.
Labour has said that £2 billion of extra funding each year would go towards tackling waiting lists and extra dental appointments, paid for by closing tax loopholes.
But Nuffield and others, including the Institute for Fiscal Studies, have said plans from both Labour and the Conservatives to increase the number of doctors and nurses and build more hospitals in England would “almost certainly” need much more cash.
Health is a devolved power but, under the Barnett formula of funding, any extra money for the NHS in England would also have to be reflected in similar payments to the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Harper pressed on Wales's 'missing' HS2 £4bn
As a reminder, Mark Harper is the transport secretary and Laura now quizzes him now about HS2. She asks whether Wales is "owed £4bn", after part of the line was scrapped last year, as Plaid Cymru has claimed.
Harper says HS2 is classed as an "England and Wales project", but says it's not true that savings from the scrapped line aren't being spent in Wales.
He says £1bn of the money coming from the cancellation of part of the project will go on electrifying the North Wales main line - which, he says, Labour wouldn't do.
He repeats that he doesn't accept Plaid's £4bn figure - we'll hear from Plaid's Rhun ap Iorwerth later.
Post update
Harper's now asked about Reform UK, after one poll showed the party surpassing the Tory share of the vote this week.
He repeats his line that only Keir Starmer or Rishi Sunak can be PM after the election, adding that the Labour leader won't cut migration or taxes.
Post update
Harper says "a lot" of people haven't made their minds up yet, adding that his party have set out a "clear programme for government", that is fully costed.
Harper then refers back to the interview with Wes Streeting earlier in the show, saying he believes it shows Labour's manifesto is just a document "to get them through the election campaign".
They're "not being clear" about how they'll fund it, he says.
Streeting earlier said Labour's plans were fully costed, and said Labour wouldn't need to put up council tax.
Harper asked: Are Conservatives admitting defeat with their campaign messaging?
Laura asks Harper about the Conservative messaging over the past few days, warning people about a Labour majority.
Is that admitting defeat?
Harper says if you look at the polls, that's what you'd get. We're saying to people, is that you want? If you don’t want a Labour huge majority you need vote Conservative, he adds.
Video content