Sunak and Starmer clash over ambulance delays at PMQs

Sir Keir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of presiding implicit "lethal chaos" successful the NHS arsenic the 2 clashed implicit ambulance waiting times during PMQs.

The Labour person said ambulances were expected to respond to exigency calls successful 18 minutes, but immoderate radical were waiting much than 2 and a fractional hours.

The PM said the NHS was dealing with the "unprecedented challenges" of Covid and a "very virulent" flu season.

He added that other wealth from authorities would assistance trim the waits.

The premier curate besides attacked Sir Keir for opposing the government's measure which would enforce minimum work levels during onslaught enactment including for ambulance staff, firefighters and railway workers.

"It's perfectly close that radical tin trust connected the exigency services erstwhile they request them," helium said.

"That's wherefore we are rapidly implementing measures to amended the transportation of ambulance times and, indeed, urgent and exigency care, but I'd say, if helium cares astir ensuring that patients get entree to life-saving exigency attraction erstwhile they request it, wherefore won't helium enactment our minimum information legislation?"

The speech came arsenic the GMB national announced its ambulance unit would beryllium striking connected 4 caller dates, including 6 February erstwhile nurses volition besides beryllium taking concern action.

The Labour person accused Mr Sunak of avoiding answering his questions and noted that if idiosyncratic successful Plymouth suffering from thorax pains had phoned 999 astatine the commencement of Prime Minister's Questions astatine midday, the ambulance wouldn't get until 14:40 GMT.

He said the premier curate should "stop blaming others" and apologise for the "for the lethal chaos nether his watch".

Data released by NHS England past week revealed a crisp deterioration successful 999 effect times successful December, arsenic good arsenic grounds waits successful mishap and exigency departments.

The rhetorical conflict to beryllium seen arsenic trustworthy custodians of the NHS was astatine the bosom of this PMQs.

Sir Keir Starmer sought to crystallise the realities of a struggling NHS: the clip it would instrumentality idiosyncratic with a suspected bosom onslaught to get an ambulance.

His examples were from crossed England; the premier curate pointed retired helium wasn't mentioning Wales, wherever Labour tally the devolved government.

But, Rishi Sunak besides - portion making that governmental constituent - tried to suggest it wasn't chiefly a governmental problem.

The challenges the wellness work look astir the UK were driven by underlying factors specified arsenic flu and the consequences of the Covid pandemic.

It is undeniable that careless of their governmental stewardship the NHS was ever apt to person a hard winter.

But, the standard of the problems asks awkward questions of the Conservatives fixed their longevity successful office, and questions for Labour astir however rapidly things mightiness alteration - oregon not - were they to beryllium successful authorities astatine Westminster aft the adjacent election.

Mr Sunak acknowledged ambulance waiting times were atrocious but argued that the concern was worse successful Wales wherever the NHS is tally by the Labour-led government.

"This is not astir politics, this is astir the information that the NHS successful Scotland, successful Wales, successful England is dealing with unprecedented challenges, recovering from Covid, dealing with a precise virulent and aboriginal flu season, and everyone is doing their champion to bring those hold times down," helium said.

"Because of the other backing we are putting successful to relieve unit successful urgent and exigency attraction departments, due to the fact that of the concern we are putting successful in ambulance telephone handling, we volition amended ambulance times arsenic we are recovering from the pandemic and, indeed, the pressures of this winter."

The Labour person besides utilized Prime Minister's Questions to rise the lawsuit of Stephanie, a 26-year-old pistillate who died waiting for an ambulance.

"As a dad, I can't adjacent fathom that pain, truthful connected behalf of Stephanie and her family, volition helium halt the excuses, halt shifting the blame, halt the governmental games and simply archer america erstwhile volition helium benignant retired these delays and get backmost to the 18-minute wait?" Sir Keir said.

Mr Sunak said Stephanie's lawsuit was "a tragedy" adding: "People are moving arsenic hard arsenic they tin to marque definite radical get the attraction they need."