- Ed Davey pushes for cancer treatment rights.
- Liberal Democrats target Conservative strongholds.
- NHS funding and housing debated.
In a speech at his party conference, Sir Ed Davey advocated a new legal right to cancer treatment within two months of an urgent referral in England.
The leader of the Liberal Democrats launched a full-scale attack on the NHS record of the Conservative government.
He accused Rishi Sunak of abandoning plans for a 10-year cancer plan, citing “Conservative chaos” as the reason.
Furthermore, he urged his party to focus on unseating Tories in the upcoming election.
Unlike their catastrophic 2019 campaign, which saw them reduced to 11 MPs, the Liberal Democrats are concentrating their efforts on traditional Conservative strongholds in southern England, known as the “Blue Wall.”
After a series of by-election victories in Tory strongholds in the south of England, they have increased their representation in the House of Commons to fifteen.
Sir Ed was asked by Lib Dem delegates at their conference in Bournemouth to campaign for the UK to rejoin the EU, but he stated that this is “off the table” for the time being.
He briefly mentioned Brexit in his speech, to the applause of activists in the room, stating, “The Conservatives mishandled the agreement with Europe, and it’s been a disaster for the United Kingdom.
“Only we have devised a plan to remove these trade barriers, mend our shattered relationship with Europe, and secure a better deal for the United Kingdom.”
He added that Labour’s plan was “nowhere near as ambitious.”
Sir Ed’s speech primarily focused on domestic issues, which he believes will help his party win over Conservative-disillusioned voters.
He gave his first party conference address since becoming leader in 2020, after the COVID-19 epidemic and the queen’s death cancelled previous sessions.
In a deeply personal segment, the audience listened in silence as Sir Ed discussed losing both of his parents to cancer as a child and caring for his mother while still in school.
Missed objectives
The story of my family is not unique: millions of us have our lives turned upside down by cancer,” he said.
“Far too many individuals continue to wait too long for a diagnosis. Or to initiate treatment after diagnosis.”
He stated that cancer would be a “top priority” for Lib Dem legislators and added, “We will hold the government accountable for every missed target and every patient who is neglected.”
The NHS in England has already set a goal for 85 percent of cancer patients to begin treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral.
However, this target has not been reached since 2015, and in January, figures reached an all-time low. The most recent statistic for July was 63%.
If patients have to wait longer than two months, they can sue the government and submit a complaint with the health ombudsman under Lib Dem proposals.
To implement the plan, the party said it would invest £4 billion in cancer treatment within the NHS over the next five years, including funding for additional personnel and radiotherapy machines.
Lib Dems said their “fully costed” manifesto before the general election next year would detail how they will afford this.
With more than 100,000 unfilled positions in the health service, the NHS Confederation applauded the pledge but stated that its implementation was unclear.
The party also proclaimed the right to see a general practitioner within a week and a £5 billion package for free social care in England.
Housing division
Lib Dems have divided on housing, with some voting against the leadership to retain England’s national housebuilding goal.
In their view, the 380,000 annual target had failed to deliver the requisite number of new homes.
But after a heated debate, members voted to retain it, with activists arguing that abandoning an overall goal could alienate younger voters.
Other significant policy announcements made at the conference included abandoning proposals to increase income tax by one penny to fund the NHS and social care.
