Your support helps us to tell the story
My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.
Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.
Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond
Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
Sir Keir Starmer has said the NHS would receive “no more money without reform” during a major speech where he blamed the Conservative government for “critical failures”.
Speaking at The King’s Fund, the prime minister said he would “accept the challenge” of fixing the health service but warned it would be “measured in years, not months”.
Sir Keir declared that the “NHS must reform or die” and set out his plans for tackling long waiting lists, improving the nation’s health and shifting the focus towards community services, but warned they will not be “universally popular”.
A review from Lord Darzi found the health service is “in serious trouble” and diagnosed the problems in the NHS and sets out themes for the government to incorporate into a 10-year plan for reforming the health service.
As part of new health preventative measures, Labour pledged to completely ban junk food advertising on TV and online before 9pm.
The new rules would come into force from October 2025 in a bid to “protect children from being exposed to less healthy food and drinks”.
Darzi NHS report: Key points from landmark review
A landmark report into the NHS has described the health service as “in serious trouble” as Labour vows to act on its findings. The review by Lord Darzi says honesty is needed if healthcare in the UK is to be improved, highlighting many issues.
The rapid review, completed in nine weeks, diagnoses the problems in the NHS in England and sets out themes for the government to incorporate into a 10-year plan for reforming the health service.
The study argues the NHS is facing rising demand for care as people live longer in ill health, coupled with low productivity in hospitals and poor staff morale.
Here are some key findings from the Darzi report:
Disgraced Tory donor Frank Hester gave £5m days before election called
Disgraced Tory donor Frank Hester gave the Conservative Party £5m just days before Rishi Sunak called the general election, it has emerged.
The Tories faced widespread calls in March to hand back money given to them by the business tycoon after he was alleged to have said that Diane Abbott – Britain’s first Black female MP – made him “want to hate all Black women” and that she “should be shot”.
Despite Mr Sunak eventually condemning the remarks as racist, newly published Electoral Commission data shows Mr Hester’s Phoenix Partnership firm donated a further £5m to the Conservatives on 17 May – just five days before Mr Sunak called the election, months earlier than widely expected.
Read the full story below:
Policing minister’s handbag stolen at police superintendents’ conference
Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson’s handbag was stolen while she attended a conference of senior police officers.
Dame Diana gave a speech at the annual Police Superintendents’ Conference on Tuesday setting out how the government was putting in motion plans to boost neighbourhood policing.
Warwickshire Police said it is investigating a report of the theft of a purse at a hotel on the B4115 in Kenilworth.
A statement read: “The theft occurred some time between 11.00-13.15 on Tuesday. Inquiries are ongoing.
“A 56-year-old man, from Coventry, has been arrested on suspicion of burglary and has since been released on bail while inquiries continue.”
NHS waiting lists grew rapidly in recent years
Democratic Unionist party urges ministers to reform NHS in devolved administrations
Democratic Unionist Party MP Jim Shannon (Strangford) has pressed ministers in Westminster on NHS reform and funding in the devolved administrations, including in Northern Ireland, after the Darzi report.
He told the Commons: “I appreciate that the terminology used in the report outlines the seriousness of the NHS conditions but also highlights that vital signs are still strong.
“Will the Secretary of State outline how he intends to address the fact that the NHS in devolved regions is in arguably worse condition, and will the Secretary of State further confirm that this review will incorporate Northern Ireland and ensure that findings, new practices and standards will be in place for Northern Ireland along with increased funding in a new funding formula?”
Health secretary Wes Streeting replied that he wanted to “reassure him that I’m really committed to working with ministers in all devolved administrations to work together to improve health outcomes for everyone in every part of our United Kingdom”.
Mr Streeting added: “I know that the system is particularly pressed in Northern Ireland and I’ll do whatever I can working with ministers in Northern Ireland to help with that situation and create the rising tide that lifts all ships right across the UK.”
SNP urges Labour to boost NHS funding in October Budget
The SNP’s Westminster leader has called on Labour to boost NHS funding in its upcoming budget in response to Lord Darzi’s damning report on problems in the health service.
Stephen Flynn said: “Lord Darzi’s report exposes the catastrophic damage that 14 years of Westminster austerity cuts, chronic underfunding and Brexit have done to the NHS.
“For more than a decade, the SNP has repeatedly warned about the damage UK government cuts and underfunding were causing our NHS. There is no escaping the fact that alongside constant modernisation, the NHS needs more money – and it needs it now if it is to deliver the best possible healthcare.
“The chancellor must deliver a major funding boost for the NHS at the UK budget, as the SNP called for during the UK general election. The simple fact is hospitals won’t build themselves – and you can’t recruit more doctors and nurses, or secure better equipment and waiting times, without adequate investment.
“As Wes Streeting has said – all roads lead back to Westminster. The UK lags behind our European neighbours on healthcare investment and staffing, and unless the Labour Government urgently delivers the funding the NHS needs it will damage healthcare in every part of the UK.”
Greens say Labour’s reform approach on NHS ‘disappointing’
Green party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said it was “disappointing” that Labour was “hooked on reform rather than investment” in its plans to improve the NHS.
He said in a statement: “The Darzi review pulls no punches: the NHS has been harmed by austerity, capital starvation, the disastrous 2012 Health and Social Care Act and the dire state of social care.
“It is therefore hugely disappointing to see Labour, like a string of previous Conservative and Labour governments, hooked on reform rather than investment.
“Starmer says there can be no money without reform. We say there can be no improvement to waiting times, cancer death rates, treatment for mental health – and many other struggling areas – without more money.
“We agree that we cannot ask working people to foot the bill through higher taxes. But it is fair to ask the super-rich to pay a little more through wealth taxes. This could generate billions towards the investment the NHS is crying out for.”
He said that “reform” has previously been used as a “stalking horse for privatisation”, which the Green party rejects.
“We must avoid a two-tier health service where those who can afford to go private to get treated do, while those who can’t don’t. The NHS was designed to serve all free at the point of use and this must remain its core mission.”
Starmer vows to reform NHS ‘fit for the future’
Chancellor meets top City bosses after relaxing proposed banking reforms
The Chancellor has met with the Bank of England governor and top bank bosses after proposed changes to the UK banking system were watered down following pressure from the City.
Rachel Reeves discussed new rules for banks and building societies that she said will bring “certainty” and “strengthen the resilience of our banking system”.
The Bank’s regulatory arm announced today that it had made significant tweaks to rules it had previously proposed after getting feedback from the industry.
The rules relate to how much capital UK banks must hold to ensure they are well equipped to handle any future crises, known as their capital requirements.
The banking system, known as Basel III, was drawn up after the 2008 financial crisis which saw major banks bailed out by the government because they did not hold enough cash to absorb losses.
Ms Reeves said: “Today marks the end of a long road after the 2008 financial crisis.
“Britain’s banks have a vital role to play in helping businesses to grow, getting infrastructure built and supporting ordinary people’s finances.
“These reforms will strengthen the resilience of our banking system and deliver the certainty banks need to finance investment and growth in the UK.”
Labour raised £10m more than Tories in three months before election
A £4 million donation from a hedge fund helped Labour raise £10 million more than the Conservatives in the second quarter of the year, new figures have revealed.
Data released by the Electoral Commission on Thursday showed Labour received £26.1 million in donations between April and June while the Conservatives received £16.1 million.
In total, political parties raised £51.6 million over the three months, more than double the amount raised over the same period in 2023, although the Electoral Commission’s Jackie Killeen said this was “not surprising” given it covered the election campaign.
Labour’s biggest donation came from hedge fund Quadrature Capital, which gave the party £4 million on May 28, just before the reporting period for the election began.
Other significant Labour donations included £2.5 million from Lord David Sainsbury, a long-time Labour donor, and £2.1 million from Ecotricity, the company owned by environmentalist Dale Vince.
