Speeches by Johnson.

“On another occasion, speaking again on the legislation, the Minister said:”

““Politically we might disagree with the centralisation of the NHS and the diktat as opposed to the permissiveness. I am definitely on the more localised, permissive side.”—[Official Report, 14 September 2021; Vol. 700, c. 223.]”

“”

“I am sure this will elicit a smile from the Minister, but once again I remind her of past comments. During the passage of the Health and Social Care Act, she said:”

“The Government are cooking up a disaster. More responsibilities, more micromanagement, less money and cuts to frontline services—that is not what the Government promised, nor the vision they described, but it appears to be what they have achieved.”

““Trust and ICB respondents indicated that we are likely to see an increase in services being reduced or closed this year. More than a third (35 per cent) stated that their organisation cut services in 2025/26, with 64 per cent saying they expect to do this in 2026/27.””

“In a report published on 1 May, the NHS Alliance said:”

“The Government set about abolishing NHS England with a vision to devolve power away from the centre. It was a laudable vision that the Opposition were willing to row in behind, but the legislation before us is far from that vision. The Government are giving more responsibility to ICBs and expecting more from them, whil…”

“How many Members on the Government Benches have heard of corticobasal degeneration, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, Lafora body disease, Friedreich’s ataxia or maple syrup urine disease? Are ICBs failing to deliver appropriate care for people with those conditions? Who is publishing the data for us to know? How will we ensur…”

“The powers in the Bill for taking control of everything risk the creation of a politicised service in which those who shout the loudest get preferential treatment. Several groups have indicated their desire for the Secretary of State to issue directions to reduce variation in service, but what about those we have not h…”

“Once organisations are judged by certain metrics, they, not the broader quality of service provided, become the primary objective. As is often said, when a measure becomes a target, it may cease to be a good measure. Could the Minister reassure Members that the Health Secretary’s new powers of direction will not be use…”

“That is a sobering assessment. It is why Members should be concerned that clause 11 paves the way for more command and control issued from Whitehall.”

“The result is learned helplessness… They are micro-managed to deliver ‘improvement trajectories’, leaving them little time for the innovations that boost productivity.””

““Every new health secretary is told by No 10 to ‘grip’ the service. Every time, the response is a new target.”

“The former Health Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Godalming and Ash (Sir Jeremy Hunt), said that the health system has too many targets. In our evidence session, he said that abolishing NHS England makes sense only if the intention is not to increase control and impose more targets. The centre is respons…”

“When we discussed clause 8, I highlighted the risk of a chilling effect. If ICBs are operating under the spectre of political intervention, they are less likely to engage in the innovation and risk taking that Ministers seem to want. If ICB leaders step out of line by doing something that the Government dislike, they d…”

““On the whole, it is probably more of a centralising measure.” ––[Official Report, Health Public Bill Committee, 16 June 2026; c. 79, Q122.]”

“I remind Members what Jon Restall of Managers in Partnership said in our evidence session. His verdict on the Bill was:”

“Clause 11 gives the Secretary of State power to fire and hire ICB leaders as he sees fit. Should a political office holder be able to wield such power? NHS England was operationally independent, but the Secretary of State is not. This Government have shown themselves to be highly political on health, not least by not t…”

“I recognise that there are safeguards in clause 11 against the Health Secretary making directions relating to the employment or treatment of a particular individual. Likewise, the Secretary of State will not be able to issue directions that contravene National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance. Those ar…”