The Staggers

The New Statesman’s rolling politics blog

Milburn's challenge to Labour on NHS reform

Former health secretary argues that Labour should take up the mantle of radical reform.

By George Eaton Published 22 February 2012 18:23

The Tories lack the public trust needed to radically reform the NHS, so Labour must. That's the striking message of Alan Milburn's essay in tomorrow's New Statesman. Tony Blair's former health secretary argues that Andrew Lansley's bill, "riddled with complexity and compromise", means the Tories have "forfeited any claim to be the party of NHS reform."

He writes:

Obsessed with policy tinkering, Lansley ignored the politically inconvenient truth that the Conservatives simply did not have enough public trust on the NHS to inflict change within it. The baggage they carried of being ideologically obsessed with privatisation weighed them down once they hit a wave of opposition to their health reforms. They are drowning as a result.

From here, he urges Labour to take up the mantle of reform. The left has the opposite problem to the right, Milburn argues. While it has the permission to make change, it lacks the volition. He writes:

Too often the left in Europe has shied away from such an apporach. It has adopted a protectionist rather than a reformist approach to the public services. The left's default position has been to stand up for producers, not consumers. Defending the status quo in a world of such rapid change has proved to be a recipe for electoral disaster. In France, Germany, Italy, Spain, even Sweden, the left has suffered consecutive election defeats where until recently it could lay claim to be the natural party of government. As New Labour proved, it is not by being protectionist but by being reformist that the left is able to win.

He urges Labour to embrace reforms that "empower patients, financially incentivise outcomes, increase competition, improve transparency and devolve accountability to local care organisations."

If that sounds remarkably similar to Lansley's vision for the NHS, it's because it is. Milburn's objection to the coalition's approach isn't a principled one but a pragmatic one. In his view, only Labour, the party that founded the NHS and restored it to health, has the political trust required to introduce Lansley-style reforms.

It's a message that sits uneasily with Labour's current approach. As David Cameron rightly noted at today's PMQs, it was Ed Miliband's party that first introduced private competition into the NHS in 2008. For now, with Cameron on the ropes, Labour is in no mood to reflect on this fact. But Milburn's essay will reignite the debate about what the party is for, rather than merely against.

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Tags: NHS

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View the discussion thread.

21 comments

Thu, 2012-02-23 11:02 — Mike Homfray (not verified)

Why can't these people just join the Tories rather than pollute the labour party with their free market/privatisation/choice nonsense?

Wed, 2012-02-22 18:33 — avocatus diaboli (not verified)

"Restored it to health", surely?

Wed, 2012-02-22 19:00 — Briar (not verified)

One of the best things that happened to Labour was the defenestration of Milburn. His support for the privatisation of the NHS was a blot on the party. The best thing he can do now is to shut up.

Wed, 2012-02-22 19:01 — Mike S (not verified)

Nobody in Labour will listen to you any more Milburn. It was a sad day when the party took you seriously in the first place.

Are you lamenting Cameron not giving you the job?

Wed, 2012-02-22 19:41 — Lox (not verified)

Doesn't this man know that the NHS is perfect in concept, and that the only thing preventing it from being perfect in execution is that we've not thrown enough money at it?

He's clearly a dangerous heretic. OK, other-more consumer focussed-healthcare systems might produce objectively better outcomes, but even so. Is the NS comfortable with allowing a platform for a neoliberal running dog like Milburn?

Fri, 2012-02-24 19:42 — linusthecat

So which private healthcare corporation is backing this politician? It is almost impossible to have an honest debate on this topic when private money is flooding the media and paying to buy politicians of all parties.

Thu, 2012-02-23 13:48 — Al4

People in hospitals and GP surgeries USED to be just 'patients' rather than 'consumers'.

Sheesh, the Party needs to purge all these Blairite dinosaurs and get back to socialist basics... then maybe people might start listening rather than mistaking us as a party of inept has-been Tory-lites.

Thu, 2012-02-23 15:02 — JacquesOuze

@Lox.
Everyone with half a brain knows that it's the successful integration of health and social care that will allow the NHS to cope with rising demand. Have a look at Torbay Care Trust. The Commercialisation of the system and privatisation of parts of it is at best a distraction, at worst an obstacle to that goal.

Wed, 2012-02-22 21:27 — John P Reid (not verified)

Mike ,I'm In Labour and I still listen to Milburn, afterall with all the mistakes the torid are making Ed milibands party aren't even ahead in the polls

Wed, 2012-02-22 21:37 — stevem1

Another article by Eaton who has now reveled himself as a committed Blairite. Milburn was heavily involved in the NuLabour project which lost Labour so much support. He is treacherous. The NHS does not need competition. Competition costs money. What is needed is cooperation .The fight to get rid of the right wing tendency that hijacked Labour will go on until thye are driven from the Party.

Wed, 2012-02-22 22:45 — Graeme (not verified)

Funny how Milburn started off as something of staunch leftie, campaigning to save shipyards in the North East, yet within little more than 10 years he'd become a Tory in all but membership. He may as well end the pretence and officially join them.

Thu, 2012-02-23 00:00 — p j wall (not verified)

I think Mr Milburn, like Hutton, should do what all political Sellouts, and Collaborators should, join their natural party, the Tories!!. They`re all still gutted, because David 'M' never got the leadership, Milburn, i wouldn`t be surprised, will be recruited by the Tories, regarding the NHS reform, and used as cover everytime they talk about it?, just like they use Hutton, everytime they try to justify Pension Reform!, don`t these political imbeciles realise this?. The likes of Frank Field have already sold out to the Tories, and made himself look like a Pathetic little Attention Seeker!, no doubt, the likes of other bitter Blairites, James Purnell, etc, are awaiting their call from the Tories, to be fronted as a spokesperson for yet another one of their unpopular policies?, Truly Pathetic!!.

Thu, 2012-02-23 18:47 — Fergus Pickering (not verified)

Do you know I don't think it will make much difference whether this bill gets through or fails. The NHS is OK. Most European Health services are OK. It is required that each party tinkers with it but neither ever changes it. All piss and wind. The coalition will stand or fall on whether George Osborne's policies are seen to work. None of this NHS stuff matters a damn.

Fri, 2012-02-24 14:46 — Steve (not verified)

NSH outcomes is not the issue. That can easily be addressed by adopting reforms that improve this. Privatisation isn't one of them. My stance as a Socialist is that health is not a commodity to be bought and sold. It's an issue about morality. Do you treat everyone irrespective of income equally without fear, favour or money getting in the way or do you force people at the behest of insurance companies to suffer because they can't afford to pay the excess or the premiums.

Alan Milburn is a closet Tory and should resign his membership of the Labour party along with the rest of the Blairite scum.

Thu, 2012-02-23 01:08 — Lox (not verified)

@Politico,18:46. Ask someone to explain irony to you sometime.

Fri, 2012-02-24 17:15 — JacquesOuze

@Fergus Pickering
I don't share your optimism on this. After all, the compulsory contracting out of cleaning services by the Tories in the 80s lead directly to a decline in hospital standards of cleanliness and ultimately to MRSA. These things do matter and do make a difference.

Thu, 2012-02-23 09:40 — Kippers

The NHS isn't broken. There's nothing to fix. The financial services industry on the other hand ......

Thu, 2012-02-23 09:44 — Richard Oliver (not verified)

I hope it will be made clear that Milburn is a spokesperson for the commercial healthcare industry. See for example http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/7941135/Alan-Milburn-shows-Jacq...

Thu, 2012-02-23 22:25 — Damien (not verified)

Sorry to repeat myself from a previous link but can Milburn please declare his personal and corporate financial interest in articles of this kind? Unbelievable(i) that you should assume he wrote it himself (too coherent by half); and(ii)that the NS has unwittingly become a free ad sheet for the private health sector.

Thu, 2012-02-23 10:30 — MagpieView (not verified)

Let's start of with a few factors, competition means duplication of resources, equipment, medication, staff, plus the need to establish a profit, plus marketing, lobbying and PR costs, plus a weaker negotiating position for drugs, and costs of admin due to complexity so what you end up with is a poorer and far more expensive system (a la USA)

I believe this clip sums matters up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9xibovqF_I