Image: composite of photographs from Parliamant
SHA officers asked the candidates two questions:
Dear Bridget and Lucy,
At noon tomorrow, [Friday 19th September 2025], the Socialist Health Association will start balloting members regarding the nomination of the Deputy Leader.
To help our members determine how to vote would you mind giving a brief response to these questions?
1). NHS services are increasingly delivered through private companies – this is set to increase considerably under the NHS 10 Year Plan. What is your view?
2). There is no doubt that health workers and health facilities are being targeted in the ongoing genocide in Gaza – what action should the British government take to halt this and hold those responsible to account?
Regards Secretary SHA
Responses in order of reciept using the format supplied.
Lucy Powell – link to SHA response document provided by her team.
Bridget Phillipson – from an email from her team
Question 1
An NHS free at the point of use has been our central principle for almost 80 years. Patients should never have to worry about the bill.
After 14 years of underinvestment under the Conservatives and with Reform openly talking about dismantling the NHS it falls to this Labour Government to rebuild our NHS and protect in this century what Attlee’s government built for the last: the provision of high-quality healthcare, not according to wealth, but according to need.
For the first time in a generation some politicians, in Reform and the Conservative Party, are openly calling for the NHS’ founding principles to be abandoned and the taxpayer-funded, free at the point of need health service to be scrapped. This would be a devastating mistake. We choose to reform the NHS, not give up on it.
I believe that the Government’s approach in using existing capacity in private providers to improve access and reduce waiting times, is a pragmatic approach to return the NHS to its purpose and its constitutional standards. We cannot afford to let spare capacity go to waste on ideological grounds.
Under the last Labour government we successfully used private sector provision to bring down waiting lists. The impact was to abolish waiting lists – so much so that we effectively put private health care providers out of business. My top priority is faster treatment for patients.
Question 2
Palestinian statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people, and I support the UK government moving to recognise a Palestinian state alongside efforts to deliver peace to the region. Timing of this is now critical as the viability of the two state solution is under threat like never before.
We must see an end to this war. The mass starvation of people and indiscriminate killing of civilians is horrifying and morally reprehensible. That’s why we must see an immediate ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid and the release of all of the hostages to begin the process of building a lasting peace. The best path to peace is statehood.