Labour could delay building hospitals to fund defence boost
Downing Street has hinted construction of almost 20 new hospital sites across England could be delayed or scrapped as it seeks ways to pour billions into defence.
Sir Keir Starmer faces mounting pressure to explain how he will find an initial £10.3billion of a £15billion boost to improve Britain's Armed Forces and their readiness for war.
While some transport savings have already been identified, No10 this afternoon refused to rule out cuts to a major scheme to build and refurbish 40 NHS facilities by 2040.
Pressed on whether health service funding would be plundered to pay for new weapons the PM's official spokesman said frontline services would be protected.
But he would only commit to protecting funding for 22 sites in the first wave of the New Hospital Programme, plus work on seven facilities found to have been built with dangerous reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
A further 18 sites are due to have new facilities built on them in waves two and three, starting from 2032, at a combined cost of more than £31billion.
It will raise fears that these projects could be postponed or even scrapped entirely if the money is needed for defence.
While some transport savings have already been identified to find Sir Keir's defence plans, No10 this afternoon refused to rule out cuts to a major NHS hospital scheme.
No10 would not guarantee future work at 18 sites including Whipps Cross Hospital ion London (pictured), which are due to have new facilities built on them from 2032, at a combined cost of more than £31billion
Which hospitals could be affected?There are 18 sites in waves two and three of the New Hospital Programme:
Wave Two
(Construction due to start between 2032 and 2037)
Leeds General Infirmary
Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, Sutton
Whipps Cross University Hospital, north-east London
Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow
Watford General Hospital
Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester General Hospital and Glenfield Hospital
Kettering General Hospital
Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton
Torbay Hospital
Wave Three
(Construction due to start between 2035 and 2039)
Charing Cross Hospital and Hammersmith Hospital, London
North Devon District Hospital, Barnstaple
Royal Lancaster Infirmary
St Mary's Hospital, north-west London
Royal Preston Hospital
Queen's Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital
Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading
Hampshire Hospitals
Eastbourne District General, Conquest Hospital and Bexhill Community Hospital
The long-delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP) to fund the armed forces was published on Tuesday, including the £15 billion boost to spending.
In a written statement to Parliament, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said only two-thirds of the sum – £10.3 billion – had been identified, while the remaining £4.7 billion would be 'confirmed at Budget 2026, in a fair and balanced way'.
Ms Reeves said the Treasury would focus on finding 'efficiencies' and cancelling or delaying 'lower priority programmes', while emphasising the Government would not cut day-to-day spending to pay for defence.
Transport and energy budgets will face larger cuts than other departments, but Downing Street was unable to say which specific projects would be scrapped or scaled back to pay for increased defence spending.
Asked if there was a list of projects that would be cut, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said details would be provided 'by the autumn'.
Asked whether hospital building projects would be protected from cuts to capital budgets, he added: 'Thanks to this Government's record investment in the NHS there will be no impact to funding for frontline services.
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'This will also not affect the timetable for delivery of the seven Raac-affected hospitals which we've prioritised or Wave 1 projects of the New Hospital Programme and we still plan to spend more than £15 billion on capital health investment.'
Asked about other hospital programmes, the spokesman repeated that the cuts would not affect the Raac-affected hospitals or the first wave of the Government's new hospitals programme.
