Minister shares NHS ‘tech vision
JEREMY HUNT yesterday urged warring Tories to back Theresa May’s Brexit strategy as one prominent MP said he would feel uncomfortable standing for the party again due to the infighting.
The Foreign Secretary rejected claims that plans to create an option to extend the Brexit transition period, which has sparked outrage in some Tory circles, amounted to a “capitulation” and insisted it “might help” get a withdrawal deal.
But his plea for unity came as the Prime Minister suffered a hail of criticism from all wings of the Conservatives, and as EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said exit talks could founder over the Irish border issue and lead to an “extremely serious” no deal Brexit.
Asked if he was convinced an agreement would be reached, Mr Barnier told France-Inter radio: “I have no deep conviction on this subject, because in the UK the political situation is very complex and I don’t know what decisions Theresa May will take.”
Asked if the whole deal could founder over the border issue, he replied: “My answer is yes.”
The firestorm around Mrs May came as she signalled she is ready to delay the UK’s final departure from the EU’s hold until 2021 in a last ditch bid to end the deadlock over the Irish border issue.
Britain has secured a 21-month transition period following the formal date of Brexit in March 2019, to give authorities and companies time to prepare for new arrangements. But EU chiefs have indicated this could be extended at the European Council summit this week in Brussels.
Brexiteer former party leader Iain Duncan Smith told
that a transition extension would see Britain pay “tens of billions of pounds” extra to the EU.
Former Remainer Nick Boles was also critical, saying it was “worse than being a member of the EU” because the UK would have to follow its rules and pay but have no vote.
The starkest language came from vocal backbencher and former soldier Johnny Mercer, who used an interview with
magazine to open fire on the leadership.
Calling it a “s*** show”, he warned that if Tory internecine rows over Brexit let in Jeremy Corbyn “I don’t think we’d be forgiven for a generation and we wouldn’t deserve to be”.
Mr Mercer also revealed he would now feel uncomfortable standing for election as a Conservative.
Mr Hunt pleaded for unity. The Foreign Secretary told BBC Radio 4’s programme: “The reason why this week has been difficult is because Theresa May has not buckled. She has held firm. She has stuck to her principles.
“It is precisely because she has not capitulated that we have not concluded this agreement.
“The one thing I would say to my colleagues is that the great strength of the EU in these negotiations is that the 27 EU nations have remained united.
“We now need to do the same behind Theresa May to maximise her negotiating leverage in Brussels and make sure she does come back with that deal that honours the letter and spirit of the referendum decision.”
He said the transition was not the main issue that needed to be resolved, which remained the so-called Northern Ireland “backstop” intended to ensure there was no return of a “hard border” with the Republic.
And he said that Britain and the EU were going through a “pain barrier” in negotiations.
Mr Hunt told LBC: “In any negotiation... there comes a moment when you’re looking into the whites of the other person’s eyes, you’re understanding what each other’s bottom lines are and you need to go through, if you like, that pain barrier, and then you come out the other side with a deal both sides can live with.” THE HEALTH Secretary met NHS staff in Yorkshire’s biggest city after launching a new “tech vision” for the health service.
Matt Hancock met staff at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and NHS Digital during a visit to the city.
Julian Hartley, chief executive of the Leeds trust, said: “This was a great opportunity for us to show him the fantastic work our teams are doing across our wide range of services, the improvements we are bringing to our patients, and our ambitions for the future.”
The visit followed an announcement that outdated technology will become a thing of the past under new technical standards for the NHS.
Old equipment will be phased out and the Government will look to end contracts with companies which don’t adhere to the new standards.
Announcing his Future of Healthcare plan, Mr Hancock said: “The tech revolution is coming to the NHS.
“These robust standards will ensure that every part of the NHS can use the best technology to improve patient safety, reduce delays and speed up appointments.”