Hunt: Give NHS millions that are sent to Brussels

THE NHS should be first in line for extra cash if Brexit frees up money for public services, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said yesterday.

He spoke out after the chief executive of NHS England urged ministers to honour the Vote Leave pledge to divert £350million-a-week payments to the European Union to the health service.

Simon Stevens warned the number of people waiting for surgery in England would rocket from four to five million by 2020 unless the service gets extra money.

Asked about the referendum pledge, Mr Hunt told the NHS Providers: “It wasn’t a Government promise, it was a promise by the Leave campaign.

“But what I very much agree with is that if there is a Brexit dividend – if we end up having less pressure on public finances because of the fact that we’re not making net contributions to the EU – then I believe that the NHS should be the first port of call.

“It is our most important public service, it is the public service that the British people care about the most.

“And when they voted to leave the EU, in many people’s minds it was one of the reasons why they wanted to switch resources.

“So we do have to bear that in mind. But there is a big if, which is that we are in the middle of these (EU) negotiations and we don’t yet know what the outcome will be.”