In the last Prime Minister’s Questions before recess, Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer attacks Rishi Sunak over NHS waiting lists. In response the prime minister blames the longer times on strikes by doctors in the health service. Report by Blairm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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00:00 When the Prime Minister took office nine months ago, the NHS waiting list had 7.2 million
00:07 people on it. What is the number today?
00:17 The reason that the NHS waiting lists are higher today than they were then, after actually
00:22 being stable for the first few months as we put in place the initiatives, is very simple.
00:27 That is because the NHS has been disrupted by industrial action. We have put very clear
00:34 plans in place to bring down waiting lists in urgent and emergency care, in primary care,
00:39 in ambulances and outpatients and electives. Those plans were working and will continue
00:44 to work, but we do need to end the industrial action. So I would ask the hon. Gentleman,
00:49 if he does care about bringing the waiting list down, does he agree with me that consultants
00:54 and junior doctors should accept the pay deal that the Government offer?
00:58 I am sure the whole House is pleased that he has graced us with his presence today,
01:05 but we do not get any more answers when he is here than when he is not. He knows the
01:10 answer. There are 7.1 million people currently on the waiting list. That is the highest it
01:16 has ever been.