Rishi Sunak – latest: Tory civil war deepens as Goldsmith hits back over claim he refused to apologise
Tory peer hits out at Sunak government’s ‘apathy’ – day after Downing Street faced down calls to fire him
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The Tory civil war has grown more fractious as Zac Goldsmith hit out at “misleading” No 10 briefing over his scathing resignation, insisting that Rishi Sunak was “wrong” to claim he had refused to apologise over his Partygate comments.
The outgoing environment minister claimed he was “happy to apologise” for remarks labelled “disturbing” by the privileges committee in their report alleging “interference” from 10 Tories during their investigation which found that Boris Johnson repeatedly lied to parliament.
As he sought to get back on the front foot at a No 10 briefing outlining his plans for NHS reforms, Mr Sunak insisted the Tory peer had resigned after taking a “different course” when asked to apologise for his “incompatible” remarks – despite No 10 insisting just hours earlier that he had the PM’s confidence.
But Lord Goldsmith opened up a new front of criticism for Mr Sunak as he countered the PM’s claims of his refusal to apologise on Friday, insisting the Sunak government’s “lethargy” on climate meant his resignation had been a “long time coming”.
Sunak insists new NHS staff will be ‘trained and regulated properly'
Speaking earlier on a visit to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, Rishi Sunak insisted that people being brought into new roles in the NHS will be “trained properly and they’ll be regulated properly”.
The General Medical Council (GMC) will bring new roles like physician associates into their remit so that they can prescribe, Mr Sunak said.
Speaking ahead of his briefing to reporters outlining the new NHS plans, he said: “But that’s what having a modern workforce is about. It’s about adapting to how people’s health needs to be treated and if you talk to some of the people that I was talking to earlier, they’re doing all these new roles.
“We should be modernising the NHS so it’s fit for the future. Healthcare is evolving and the NHS needs to evolve with it, and that’s what the plan does.”
Sunak making ‘dog’s ear’ of climate action, says Greenpeace
Greenpeace said Rishi Sunak is making a “dog’s ear” of climate action, accusing him of “going too slow or in reverse”. And the environmental group warned the prime minister he will “pay a price” at the next election for his record on climate change.
It highlighted criticisms of the government this week from former prime minister Theresa May, its own climate advisers and now Lord Goldsmith.
“Rishi Sunak is making a dog's breakfast of climate action and even some of those around him no longer have the stomach to pretend it's a three Michelin-star dinner,” said Greenpeace’s head of politics Rebecca Newsom.
She added: “Whether it's blocking affordable renewables, pushing for more oil and gas drilling, or snubbing a crucial global summit to boost funding for climate-vulnerable countries, there's hardly any areas where the Sunak government isn't either going too slow or in reverse.
“The public deserves better than the prime minister's climate omnishambles that will lead to colder homes, higher energy bills, and missed opportunities for job creation. But it’ll be the Conservatives who also pay a price at the next election if Sunak doesn’t sort out the government’s record fast.”
Watch live as Sunak sets out new NHS plan
Rishi Sunak’s Downing Street address to the media over his NHS plan is expected imminently.
He will be flanked by NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard and NHS national medical director Stephen Powis.
You can watch live here:
Sunak says more staff and reform needed as NHS speech gets under way
Rishi Sunak’s Downing Street press conference on the NHS workforce plan is under way.
“We need more doctors and nurses to ease the pressures and we need reform to free them up to do their jobs properly,” the prime minister says.
Sunak touts ‘most ambitious staff plan in NHS history'
Governments from all parties have ducked the challenge of NHS staffing for decades, Rishi Sunak has claimed.
It isn’t right that we don’t train enough people at home to properly staff the NHS, the prime minister said.
“Overcoming this won’t be quick or easy,” he said, adding that it is only possible because of difficult decisions elsewhere and by prioritising the NHS there will be other things that government can’t afford.
“Unless we act now ... the challenges we face will only get worse,” he said, touting the “most ambitious transformation in the way we staff the NHS in its history.”
Sunak vows to reduce reliance on agency staff by £10bn
The government’s 15-year NHS plan will cost £2.4bn, Rishi Sunak has said.
He vowed to double the number of medical training places by 2031, training over 24,000 more nurses and midwives a year, and increasing the number of GP places by 50 per cent.
This will, in time, reduce spending on temporary agency staff by £10bn and cut the need for international recruitment, he claimed – cutting this from one in four, to one in 10.
The prime minister said the UK will retain more of its workforce, keeping up to 130,000 more staff in the NHS over the next 15 years.
He vowed to modernise the pension scheme, “so staff can partially retire or return to work much more easily if they wish to”.
Sunak touts ‘biggest ever expansion’ of NHS apprenticeships
It is not enough just to have more doctors and nurses, Rishi Sunak said, insisting that the government needs “to change the way they work so that they can deliver better care”.
He pointed to opportunities provided by AI and virtual wards, and vowed to expand new roles such as nurse and physician associates, to allow the most qualified staff to focus on patients with the most complext needs.
The prime minister also touted “the biggest ever expansion” of NHS apprenticeships, so that one fifth of training will be offered through degree apprenticeships. Staff will also have more opportunities to progress, Mr Sunak claimed.
“Training, retention and reform – that’s our plan to build the NHS workforce of the future and secure the NHS for the long-term,” the PM said.
Sunak responds to Zac Goldsmith’s stinging resignation
Our political correspondent Archie Mitchell reports:
Rishi Sunak confirmed Lord Goldsmith resigned after being asked to apologise for his comments about the Privileges Committee.
“They were incompatible with your position as a minister,” Mr Sunak said in a letter to the former minister.
“I am grateful for your service,” Mr Sunak added, highlighting “historic UK successes” at the Cop26 and Cop27 climate summits.
And the prime minister shrugged off criticism from Lord Goldsmith – who accused him of being “apathetic” about climate issues – saying the government can be “proud of the UK’s record as a world-leader on net zero”.
“We are going far beyond other countries and delivering tangible progress,” he said.
Mr Sunak said the government is committed to leaving the environment “in a better state than we found it”.
And he hit back at Lord Goldsmith’s criticism of a decision to “to attend the party of a media baron rather than attend a critically important environment summit in Paris”.
Mr Sunak said the UK was represented by minister of state for development, Andrew Mitchell.
“I wish you all the best for the future,” Mr Sunak said.
Challenges facing the NHS have changed, says Sunak
Rishi Sunak told the Downing Street press briefing the purpose of protecting the nation’s health has not changed but “what has changed are the challenges facing the NHS”.
He added: “Our society is growing older, the burden of illness is changing, and all of this will put pressure on an already overstretched workforce.”
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