NHS budget could be £20 billion lighter
Health Secretary Andy Burnham has put Gordon Brown in a very difficult spot after suggesting that the NHS needs to save £20 billion a year between now and 2014. He is currently looking at ways to cut costs under the guise of "efficiency savings". However, in the world of politics, swap the term efficiency savings for investment cuts!
The revelation that Britain is currently borrowing an enormous £6000 a second to fund public services is a figure which could come back to haunt Gordon Brown as we approach the election. To the general public it is very difficult to contemplate how serious the UK debt problem is and how this will impact significantly on both headline and non-headline public services. Despite assurances from the UK government that headline services would not be impacted by public sector investment cuts, in reality whichever party takes over after the next general election there will be little choice but to make cost savings across the board.
After claiming that his party would not reduce investment in public services only a few weeks ago, Gordon Brown was this week forced to undergo a massive U-turn and admit that investment would be cut. If he is shown to have "told untruths" about headline services and his promise to maintain investment, it could spell the end for his premiership.
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