Suffolk: Liberal Democrats slam Tory leader's hollow gesture

3.07.08pm GMT Fri 10th Nov 2006

Liberal Democrats on Suffolk County Council today slammed the visit of Tory Leader, David Cameron, to Ipswich hospital as a hollow and empty gesture.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Andrew Cann attacked the Tory leader saying, "I can't believe that "Dave" Cameron believes he can just waltz into Ipswich and imagine that everyone will have forgotten his party's record on the NHS. I'm sure the people who use the valuable service Ipswich hospital provides will remember the years of under-funding and neglect when the Tories ran the health service. How the conservatives can credibly campaign against NHS cuts when they voted against increasing investment in the NHS to its current level is beyond me. The label on the tin may have changed, but Tory instincts are still the same: the NHS is certainly in trouble, but the Tories are certainly not the answer!"

Fellow Liberal Democrat Cllr Kathy Pollard added, "I have just come from the County's Health Scrutiny meeting where we heard about the real scale of the crisis facing Ipswich Hospital Trust. The situation is truly shocking: but where is Chris Mole? The public already suspects that decisions at a national level are being driven by financial crisis not clinical need. What matters is the right arrangement of hospitals for patient care, not politicians' jobs. The publication earlier this week of 'heat maps' showing that political factors are also weighing heavily in these decisions will further undermine public confidence in the Government. It seems that the Labour party are in no better a position to help the NHS than the Tories are."