Reform unlikely to introduce insurance-based health system
The party is yet to publish a full set of Wales-specific policies, although that has not stopped their political opponents from attacking their NHS plans.The health service is likely to be one of the major battlegrounds at the next Senedd election with Labour's record on waiting lists - and the pledges made by other parties - likely to face intense scrutiny.Last Saturday, the Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens used part of her speech at the Welsh Labour conference in Llandudno to accuse Reform of wanting to "sell the NHS to the highest bidder."Plaid Cymru warned that Reform would seek to "privatise" the NHS at their conference in March.The Welsh Conservatives have also made the NHS their top priority and say they would declare a health emergency and bring down waiting lists to no more than a year.
A Reform spokesperson said it believed in a health service that was free at the point of delivery and "it's committed to keeping prescriptions free"."Look at what Labour's done. Waiting lists are at record highs - the worst in the whole UK. They can't get the staff in, and they can't keep the staff they've got."A Reform government will sort this out. We'll expose the waste, the failures, and the scandals in the NHS. We need to cut the waste, slash the bureaucracy, and end the inefficiency so patients actually get the care they need," they added. In an interview on LBC radio on Thursday, Farage said he wanted the NHS to be funded through general taxation. But he added that the money being paid was being competed for by different insurance companies "who say 'well I'll do 10,000 hip operations at this or at this', I just think we will get better bang for our buck". He said that he had been "wilfully misinterpreted" by a Labour party that "is in real trouble".
Labour's UK care spokesperson Stephen Kinnock said the comments were confirmation that Reform "would look to charge patients for their healthcare". Farage called for a debate on an insurance-based system when he was leader of UKIP back in 2015. But Reform's 2024 general election promised an NHS free at the point of use alongside "major reforms".In January this year, in a separate interview with LBC, he was asked if he was open to a "French-style insurance model for the NHS".He replied that he did not want to "absolutely mimic the French system, but let's have a deeper broader thing".He added "if we could get a more efficient better funding model, provided we give free care at the point of delivery, I am prepared to consider anything". State healthcare in France is not generally free - costs are covered by a combination of statutory insurance funded through the tax system, supplementary private insurance and patients contributing through co-payments.If any proposals to change the NHS funding model were to emerge they would be more likely in the party's manifesto for the next UK general election, expected in 2029.
It is thought there is a preference amongst the party's hierarchy for a UK-led approach on any change, even though the NHS in Wales is controlled by the Welsh government in Cardiff Bay.The bulk of money available to Welsh ministers comes in the form of a block grant from the UK government at Westminster.Recent increases to health spending in England have led to more money for Wales, which Welsh ministers have used to tackle record NHS waiting lists.Reform has been polling consistently first or second in recent opinion polls ahead of next year's election which suggest they have a realistic chance of becoming the biggest party in the Senedd.They would likely need to do some kind of deal with another of the parties to form a government.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Revealed: The VERY strange ailments that are netting sufferers a free, brand-new car funded by the taxpayer
Taxpayers are funding cars for people with conditions including 'constipation', 'tennis elbow' and 'anxiety'. New figures reveal the government-backed Motability scheme is also being used to provide vehicles for drivers who have abused alcohol or drugs. Motability was set up to help those with serious physical disabilities get around. But the bloated scheme is now being used by people with a wide variety of ailments. A table shows they include over 32,000 new motors for people suffering anxiety or other depressive disorders, while 40 cars went to people with 'tennis elbow', a condition which the NHS advises 'usually goes away with rest'. A further 20 people suffering from constipation made use of Motability, along with 190 who had 'social phobia', the official figures show. Ten people struggling with a 'failure to thrive' got a taxpayer-funded car, and so did another 20 with a 'food intolerance'. A full breakdown of the figures was released in response to a Parliamentary Question and published by the Guido Fawkes website which said some £600million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions into the scheme in 2024, and, as of April, some 589,000 benefits claimants in England and Wales have the publicly-subsidised cars. Online 'influencers' dish out tips for getting Motability cars, including this TikTok user hiding his full face with a red balaclava offering advice on claiming a £31,000 car for 'essentially free' In other videos, he advises his followers how to find out if they are eligible for the Motability scheme (left) and reveals how he acquired his Seat Arona 'for free' (right) Constipation and 'tennis elbow'...some of the more startling conditions for getting a taxpayer-funded car ADHD/ADD: 9,090 Alcohol misuse: 770 Anxiety and depressive disorders: 32,160 Anxiety disorders - other/type not known: 2,600 Back pain: 6,760 Constipation: 20 Depressive disorder: 7,460 Elbow disorders - other/type not known: 50 Obesity: 800 OCD: 650 Phobia - social: 190 Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis): 40 Allergy risk of anaphylaxis unknown or not fully assessed: 10 Failure to thrive: 10 Food intolerance: 20 The way the scheme works, eligible benefit claimants – meaning those who receive an enhanced rate for qualifying mobility difficulties - can choose to swap a portion of their payments for a new car, scooter or powered wheelchair. The figures show that 800 cars have gone to people with obesity and 230 to those with Tourette's syndrome. Some 770 people with 'alcohol misuse' conditions and another 220 with drug misuse issues lease cars from Motability. The campaign group Crush Crime claims it is 'easier for a drunk-driver to get a free car than a lifetime driving ban', adding: 'Yes, they can get a car BECAUSE they have an alcohol problem.' Motability stressed that 'anyone with an unspent drink-driving conviction cannot drive our vehicles'. Motability came under fire recently as it emerged people online boasted of gaming the system to get new cars 'basically free'. Incredibly, the publicly-funded private company is now so big it buys one in five new cars sold in Britain – and friends or relatives of Motability customers can drive them too. The boss earns £750,000 and – as the Mail revealed earlier this year – Motability is sitting on a £4billion stockpile. Meanwhile TikTok 'influencers' are fuelling the Motability scandal by encouraging Britons to cash in on brand new cars. A non-refundable advance payment based on the value of the vehicle due at the outset is required, but at a significantly lower cost. The scheme has been coming under fire for months amid fears the system is being abused. The boom in claimants, who must be in receipt of benefits in the form of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or the Disability Living Allowance (DLA), has proved lucrative for Motability, whose turnover soared to £7billion last year. Meanwhile Motability Operations, the company behind the Motability charity, is sitting on a surplus of £4billion - all of which is stemming from taxpayers' money. One TikTok 'influencer', masking his full face with a red balaclava, handed out tips to claim a £31,000 car for 'essentially free'. He tells his 25,000 followers the best way to obtain PIP and Motability, even advising people to take the Government to court if they are turned down. In one video, he reveals the best way to cash in on an Abarth 695 Sport, worth around £31,000, saying: 'To get this car, all you have to do is pay £599... but there's a catch. You have to be in the Motability scheme, meaning you have to be getting PIP, more specifically the Motability aspect of it. 'You need to get 12 points of that, however if you have a family member on PIP or if you are on PIP yourself you can exchange your allowance to get this car.' In other videos, first reported by The Sun, he advises his followers how to find out if they are eligible for the Motability scheme and reveals how he acquired his Seat Arona, worth up to £29,850, 'for free'. Filming a video while driving around in the car, he says: 'A question I get asked a lot is how did I get my car completely free? I've got this car completely free, so the way I got this car was through the Motability scheme. 'The way I got this car was going into a dealership, giving them the letter, them confirming the benefit and just getting the car ordered... it came within four days.' Another user shared a video boasting how her four-year-old autistic daughter can be 'driven around in style' after the family replaced their Vauxhall Zafira with a flash new Skoda Kodiaq. The vehicle is usually worth around £36,000 but can be leased for £3,299 on the Motability scheme. Motability claimants are supposed to prove they struggle to leave their home or cannot plan and follow a journey route without help to get the required '12 points'. John O'Connell, at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'The Government must look at the criteria before this situation gets worse.' Motability Operations, which runs the Motability scheme, said: 'To use the Motability Scheme, you must receive a higher rate mobility allowance. Eligibility for the allowance is determined and awarded by the Government.' The Department for Work and Pensions, which makes the decisions on who is eligible for disability benefit claims, said: 'People in receipt of an eligible benefit can choose to join the Motability Scheme. Any misuse of the scheme is a matter for Motability and, where appropriate, the police.' One of the most notorious incidents involving a Motability recipient hit the headlines in May last year when a couple called Bernard and Ann McDonagh were convicted of a string of 'dine and dash' offences. When the McDonaghs and their children went to the Bella Ciao restaurant in Swansea one day last April, they were clearly in the mood to splash out. Their main courses included the two most expensive items on the menu – T-bone and fillet steaks – and when it came to pudding they ordered 'double desserts'. 'They wanted two brownies on a plate,' the owner of the restaurant said later. But when the time came to settle the £329 bill for her party of five, Mrs McDonagh tried to pay with a savings account card. After this had been declined twice, she told the proprietor: 'I'm going to go to the car to get another card, I'll leave my son here as proof that you can trust me.' Unfortunately, for Bella Ciao's bottom line, McDonagh Jr made a run for it shortly afterwards and the family made their escape in a blue Ford Transit van. It later emerged that the McDonaghs had been given the brand-new vehicle by Motability on a three-year lease but, far from putting them on the road to productive employment, it became their getaway vehicle. Their choice of a Ford Transit is illustrative of the range of models that are available to Motability's clients, who are presented with an eye-catching catalogue of gleaming new vehicles. By handing over £60 of their weekly PIP mobility benefit, a claimant can find themselves driving away with an all-electric Dacia Spring – retail price £15,000 – for no upfront cost. In exchange for the full £75.75 weekly allowance, a claimant can 'purchase' a petrol Nissan Juke SUV – retail price £23,000. For people in dire need of assistance with transportation owing to a disability, these vehicles can be essential to their physical and mental wellbeing. But it becomes less clear as to the immediate benefits to the taxpayer when you look further down the list of vehicles purchased by Motability – which enjoys zero VAT on the hire and resale of its vehicles. For an upfront payment of £7,999, customers can walk away with a brand-new BMW i4 M Sport, which retails at £50,000 and accelerates from 0-60mph in five seconds, or, for the same upfront price, a Mercedes-Benz CLA Coupe. Once the lease on a vehicle is up, Motability sells it on the open market, with the profits going back into the company. Labour peer John Mann, who has previously raised concerns about the company, says: 'Motability is making too much money. It needs tighter criteria. There needs to be a return of some of this money they have accrued to the exchequer. 'I also question why it is necessary for its customers to change to a new vehicle so regularly. Cars last a long time and the whole point of Motability must be to help people live a normal life. Three years per car is too short a time-frame.'
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Boris Johnson fails to understand his role in the rise of Reform UK
SIR – Boris Johnson argues that his former colleagues in the Conservative Party should ignore Nigel Farage and Reform UK (report, July 5). Mr Johnson appears to be unaware that the rise of Reform is almost entirely his fault. He squandered a massive parliamentary majority by ignoring the wishes of the Conservative electorate: opening our borders to mass low-skilled migration; allowing damaging wokery to subvert women's rights; pursuing economically illiterate net zero policies; and failing to keep reasonable control of the behaviour of his Downing Street staff during Covid. In its growing support for Reform, the public is signalling that it has had enough of tone-deaf politicians who wilfully ignore the wishes of voters and break promises in their manifestos. The fact that Mr Johnson is unable to see this only confirms the diagnosis. Will Curtis Raydon, Suffolk SIR – Boris Johnson has failed to grasp the most rudimentary principle of politics, which is that the first duty of any government is to secure the borders. Nigel Farage and his party take this obligation seriously, while Mr Johnson, along with other Tory prime ministers in recent years, singularly failed in this crucial area, with disastrous consequences. Will Forrow Dawlish , Devonshire SIR – It's a bit rich for Boris Johnson to tell us to ignore Nigel Farage. Mr Johnson's 'green industrial revolution' included the banning of sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2030, a massive expansion in the number of wind turbines, and unrealistic targets to cut emissions. His green obsession has left us with the most expensive energy of all the developed nations, deindustrialisation, and impoverishment of the UK population. N H Bailey Stockport, Cheshire SIR – Boris Johnson appears ignorant of the thousands of voters who have switched to Reform UK because of Tory arrogance and incompetence. One hopes that Kemi Badenoch has a proper grasp of recent Conservative failings, and will ignore both him and those who, incredibly, believe that bringing Mr Johnson back to repeat past mistakes might somehow lead to a different outcome next time. Stephen Kemp Leicester SIR – For the first time ever, I agree with Boris Johnson. Nigel Farage is a serial political failure, rejected by voters on many occasions. As a member of the European parliament, he failed to support British farmers and fishermen. Like his hero Donald Trump, Mr Farage lives for publicity, making ridiculous promises and fooling the gullible. Without constant attention, he would fade away. A Lloyd Liverpool
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Four-year-old pupils taught about surrogacy, 'tummy mummies' and 'donated sperm or eggs' in lessons blasted as 'highly inappropriate' by parents and campaigners
Primary school children aged just four are being taught about surrogacy when they learn where babies come from for the first time. Reception classes are told that children can have a 'tummy mummy' as well as a 'mummy and/or daddy who will be their parents' when learning about the basics of reproduction. Among 'key vocabulary' four and five-year-olds must learn are 'surrogacy' and 'donated sperm or eggs' in a module titled: 'Where do babies come from?' Parents and campaigners say it is 'highly inappropriate' to teach these topics to such young children, saying it is only likely to confuse them. They add that the concepts should be introduced only to much older children 'as part of lessons on thorny ethical issues such as euthanasia and abortion'. Industry estimates suggest about 500 children are born through surrogacy in the UK each year – equating to just 0.08 per cent of children born in England and Wales in 2023. About half of these children result from arrangements involving foreign surrogates, and campaigners warn this often leads to poor women in developing countries being exploited. Helen Gibson, founder of Surrogacy Concern, said she is 'appalled' to see surrogacy being taught to such young children and has written to the Department for Education (DfE) to raise concerns. She said: 'Surrogacy is higher risk for severe pregnancy complications, it is unethical, exploitative and highly contentious.' However, pro-surrogacy groups have lobbied MPs for the practice to be 'included in schools', a document seen by the Mail shows. The DfE said the teaching material was developed by a private relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) provider and is not compulsory in all primary schools, adding: 'The RSHE guidance is clear that where schools choose to do so they must make sure they teach age-appropriate topics.'
