How The Welfare State and the NHS Has Changed Since 1945 | Andrew Seaton

Aug 28, 2026 | "To begin with, everything was free, including prescriptions, dentistry services and so on. But in 1949, they brought this act in that would allow them to put a shilling charge on prescriptions."

As the expensive welfare state holds court in parliament proceedings on most days, historian Andrew Seaton takes us back to the advent of the universal welfare state between 1945 and 1948.

Burnham Set to Ditch Palantir from NHS

THE TELEGRAPH: Left-wing critics have called for deal to be axed over US tech giant’s work with Israeli Defense Forces and US immigration

Screenshot taken from this Telegraph article. | Andy Burnham did not grant Palantir any contracts during his nine years as Greater Manchester mayor Credit: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters
Andy Burnham is set to ditch Palantir from the NHS, The Telegraph can reveal.

The prime minister-in-waiting did not grant the US tech company any contracts during his nine years as Greater Manchester mayor, and is minded to take the same approach in No 10.

Mr Burnham is reviewing the Government’s overall artificial intelligence strategy, and an aide said he believed “unfettered tech boosterism” was turning off voters.

In his first keynote speech on Monday, he said he wanted to see social value play a larger part in contracts awarded by the Government.

Mr Burnham is expected to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as soon as July 20, and will then have to decide whether to cut ties with Palantir two years into its seven-year, £330m NHS deal. » | Dominic Penna | Senior Political Correspondent | Thursday, July 2, 2026

Rob Groves: This Evil USA Corporation Has Your Intimate Data

Apr 25, 2026 | A US defence and surveillance company, co-founded by a man who thinks democracy is incompatible with freedom and that the NHS makes people sick, holds contracts worth over half a billion quid with the British government, including £330 million to handle the NHS's most sensitive patient data.

This week they published a manifesto that MPs have called "the ramblings of a supervillain." It's time the British public knew exactly who Palantir are, what they believe, and why we need to kick them out of our NHS.

"Highways create traffic jams,
welfare creates poverty,
schools make people dumb,
and the NHS makes people sick.” – Peter Thiel

It beggars belief that Palantir was given the contract in the first place; it should have been tendered for.

That Peter Thiel endorses bringing back national service, or ‘the draft’ as Americans call it. It is to be hoped that if and when the draft is brought back by Mr Bone Spurs, the draft-dodger non plus ultra, Peter and his husband will be at the head of the queue, eagerly awaiting their chance to sign on the dotted line! — © Mark Alexander

Michael Lambert: Nobody Is Talking About This — But They Should Be

After a lifetime of good health, a recent seizure at 30,000 feet in the air forced me to confront something I had never really thought about before — I am getting old and will very probably need medical attention and possibly care?

When I looked at the UK Care sector two facts genuinely shocked me. There is a desperate shortage of care workers. The government's cancellation of the 'Care Worker Visa' means that no one from anywhere in the world can come to the UK to work in the care sector.

There are vacancies for 168,000 care workers in the UK. At the same time 84% of care homes are now privately owned, often by big American companies so that the generous profits earned by UK care homes are transferred abroad in the form of interest payments, directors' salaries and shareholder dividends.

This is not about politics alone. It is about the future for millions of families — including yours and mine. One day, many of us will depend entirely on the kindness and skill of strangers. The question is — will they be there? Who is going to do the caring?

Une approche «non stigmatisante» : les mariages entre cousins au Royaume-Uni «ne doivent plus être découragés», soutient le NHS

LE FIGARO : Le risque d’avoir un enfant atteint d’une maladie génétique ne serait que «légèrement augmenté», selon le National Health Service (NHS), qui appelle à ne pas « stigmatiser » une pratique jugée « normale » dans certaines cultures.

Le personnel hospitalier doit cesser de décourager les mariages entre cousins germains. Tel est le mot d’ordre adressé aux soignants par le National Health Service (NHS), le système de santé britannique. En cause : le risque d’avoir un enfant atteint d’une maladie génétique ne serait, selon la base de données nationale sur la mortalité infantile (NCMD) financée par le gouvernement, que « légèrement augmenté ». Pourtant, les chiffres interrogent. L’an dernier, il a été révélé que la mort de plus de deux enfants par semaine en Angleterre était liée au fait que leurs parents étaient étroitement apparentés, indique le Times .

Par ailleurs, les bébés nés de cousins germains seraient jusqu’à trois fois plus susceptibles de présenter des troubles génétiques. Les directives évoquées reconnaissent l’existence de « risques pour la santé des enfants liés au mariage de proches parents », mais invitent à ne pas les «exagérer». Selon ces recommandations, 85 à 90 % des couples de cousins n’ont pas d’enfants affectés par une maladie génétique. À titre de comparaison, le taux moyen national d’enfants nés sans maladie congénitale s’élève à environ 98 %. » | Par Marie de Montalembert de Cers | vendredi 13 février 2026

UK Government Advised against Mass Prostate Cancer Screening by Expert Committee | BBC News

Nov 28, 2025 | The UK’s National Screening Committee advised against routine prostate cancer screening for the majority of men.

Health secretary, Wes Streeting, said he'll "examine the evidence" and will take into account different views on screening ahead of a decision in March.

Mass testing could cause more harm than good - even for those at high risk, including black men and those with a family history, according to the expert committee.

Lee Anderson’s Constituents Stunned When They’re Told about Reform’s NHS Plans

THE LONDON ECONOMIC: "I thought the Reform party were more on our side."

Lee Anderson’s constituents have been left stunned after being told about Reform UK’s plans for the NHS.

Whilst Reform may be experiencing a surge in the polls, one issue they can’t seem to shake off their backs is the fact their leader, Nigel Farage, has previously called for the NHS to move towards an insurance-based system.

Reform’s Anderson was re-elected as MP for Ashfield last July, but it turns out a fair few of his constituents aren’t quite aware of his leader’s views.

So, the Trades Union Congress decided to head to Ashfield to open their eyes to what Farage has said in the past about the NHS. » | Charlie Herbert | Wednesday, July 27, 2025

‘Farage collapsed the economy with Brexit, and faced no consequences’ – Stephen Flynn: With the BBC facing criticism about the amount of airtime they are giving Nigel Farage, some awkward questions have started to emerge. »

Nigel Farage is a fraud. The NHS would NOT be safe in his hands. People who would vote for that egocentric and self-serving man would need their heads read! Keep Farage&Co well away from Downing Street! He has stuffed up the country once already, with Brexit. Don’t let him finish off the job. – © Mark Alexander

Reform UK MP Wants to Kill the NHS by Opting Out?

Jan 14, 2025 | Is the NHS safe in the hands of Nigel Farage and Reform UK? Well, according to Rupert Lowe MP, it is a beast on the backs of British people and they should be allowed to opt out of what he called a centrally planned system. However what Reform would like is something akin to what is in place in the US, a private health insurance model which see thousands go bankupt due to medical bills each year.

Clearly, Rupert Lowe is an ignorant man! An ignorant man in a party led by a numbskull!

So, if this man opts out of the NHS, what happens to him if he is involved in a car accident? When a person is in a car accident, regardless of whether he/she has private health insurance or not, the person is taken to the NEAREST NHS HOSPITAL. There is no time to drive the injured patient to a private hospital of his choice. Even if the injured person has the most expensive health insurance available, he/she will be driven poste haste to the nearest NHS hospital – and free of charge. By contrast, when I once needed an ambulance in the States to take me to the nearest hospital which was only five miles down the road, I ended up with a bill of approximately $650 — that was about thirteen years ago — for the one-way trip. At the time, I could have flown from Boston to Heathrow second class cheaper! So much for the American private healthcare system!

The NHS is no longer as good as it used to be, largely because of Cameron and his Conservative henchmen who imposed austerity on the nation, but it can be improved again. And it will. It must be. Let the Americans have their hugely expensive private healthcare system, and we’ll stick to the NHS. Even with an NHS, it is still possible to have private medical care on top of it. But this is usually used for elective medical care rather than for emergencies.

It seems to me that all that was good about this country is under attack now from the far right. We must resist their attempts to destroy the UK. – © Mark Alexander

I’m a Doctor and I Think It’s Wrong to Ban Smoking outside Hospitals

THE TELEGRAPH: Addicts cannot simply quit as soon as they enter hospital and the activity gives them some much-needed relief

Labour’s plan to ban smoking on hospital grounds is the epitome of a top-down initiative by a nanny-state government. It’s a great example of politicians having an idea, without actually being involved in the practicalities. They don’t understand how hospitals work because they don’t work in hospitals. This solution is a poor sticking plaster to a nation-wide problem.

When it comes to hospitals, we have to be liberal about smoking out of sheer empathy for the patients – many of whom are at the end of their lives. There’s no doubt that smoking is bad for you, so I’m not suggesting that we should encourage people to do it. But for many patients it’s a lifeline – a practice that brings comfort and relief at times of deep distress.

We also cannot ignore the fact that smoking is first and foremost an addiction – you can’t just give it up when you are admitted to hospital. Walk into any hospital in the country, even in the height of winter when it’s freezing cold, and you will see patients standing outside the main entrance in pyjamas with drip stands and drugs, smoking. Some will be smoking as relief from the stress of the intense hospital environment, some will be socialising and enjoying time together and some will be relishing the feeling of a comforting habit that they’ve enjoyed all their lives. » | Karol Sikora * | Tuesday, November 5, 2024

* Prof Karol Sikora is a leading cancer specialist, who worked as a clinical director in the NHS for more than 25 years.

THE GUARDIAN:

Smoking to be banned outside schools and hospitals in England, but pubs get reprieve: Legislation also includes ban on advertising of vapes and restrictions on flavours, packaging and marketing »

Revealed: King Charging Millions for NHS to Use His Land

Nov 2, 2024 | All of what they've uncovered doesn't pass the public smell test of ethical behaviour."

An investigation by the Sunday Times Insight team has uncovered the "secret business deals" that the king are using to maintain their "multi-millionaire status", says The Sunday Times's George Arbuthnott.


THE GUARDIAN:

King and Prince William’s estates ‘making millions from charities and public services’: Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster likely to make at least £50m from leasing land to services such as NHS and schools, according to investigation »

Starmer’s Killjoy State

Sep 18, 2024 | Banning smoking in beer gardens. Banning ‘junk food’ advertising. Weighing people at work. The UK’s new Labour government is putting the ‘nanny state’ on steroids. Worst of all, it’s already committed to bringing in the total prohibition of cigarettes – a move that will upend our liberties and fuel the black market. Here, Tom Slater explains why this obsession with policing our lifestyles has nothing to do with public health and everything to do with pushing ordinary people around. This is about the ruling classes forcing their own miserable ways on the rest of us, while blithely ignoring the disastrous consequences of their authoritarianism.

One can but despise Starmer. This man is the closest leader this country has ever had to the man history knows as Der Führer!

Death to the Nanny State! Death to Starmer's authoritarian regime! – © Mark Alexander

Wes Streeting Brings in Blairite Turned Health Lobbyist to 'Fix' NHS

Jul 7, 2024

Dr Suneel Dhand: Be Careful! Huge Diabetes Misinformation from the NHS

Apr 12, 2024 | The level of cluelessness is on another level. Is it any wonder diabetes is getting worse and worse? I feel sorry for anyone newly diagnosed who is dependent on the system.

Shocking advice from US authorities for diabetics »

Could the Lib Dems Really Deliver Their Manifesto? | Election 2024 | The New Statesman

Jun 10, 2024 | Is Ed Davey making election pledges that he knows he'll never have to deliver?

Related article »

Lib Dems Launch Election Manifesto with Pledge to ‘Save the NHS’

THE GUARDIAN: Party presents ‘fully costed plan to tackle the healthcare crisis from top to bottom’, including guarantees on GPs and dentists and free-to-access social care

The Liberal Democrats have become the first of the big parties to launch their election manifesto, with a pitch to voters based on boosting the NHS and social care.

They also said that – unlike those of Labour and the Tories – their plans were fully costed.

Speaking at a glitzy launch event in north London, the party’s leader, Ed Davey, told voters that electing enough Lib Dem MPs would bring “a strong liberal voice pushing for these policies” and could make a notable difference even with an expected Labour majority.

The 116-page manifesto has been launched alongside a costings document, which pledges increased capital gains tax for very wealthy people, plus new levies on aviation, energy companies and banks.

Davey said this would pay for policies particularly focused on health and care, including guarantees about seeing GPs and dentists, free-to-access social care and more mental health support. » | Peter Walker and Pippa Crerar | Monday, June 10, 2024

Rishi Sunak Heckled by Member of the Public over State of NHS

Jan 19, 2024 | Rishi Sunak was challenged by a member of the public over the state of the NHS and his handling of strike action during a walkabout in Winchester today. A video clip played by Sky News at lunchtime showed Mr Sunak being grilled by a woman as he walked along a shopping street.

Sky News criticised by Tory MPs over edit of Sunak being challenged by member of the public: Sky News has been criticised by Conservative MPs over their edit of footage of Rishi Sunak being challenged by a member of the public. / A video clip played by Sky News at lunchtime showed the Prime Minister being grilled by a woman over the state of the NHS as he walked along a shopping street during a walkabout in Winchester. / The woman told Mr Sunak: “You could stop it all. You could make it go back to how it used to be where we had… where if you had a problem you could go to the hospital. My daughter spent seven hours waiting…” »

Rishi Sunak is an AWFUL prime minister. One of the worst prime ministers in my lifetime! He is totally and utterly clueless. He is like a head boy in a senior school. He has no idea about politics and he is totally out-of-touch with ordinary people. His incremental smoking ban is STUPID, UNDEMOCRATIC, TOTALLY UNWORKABLE and UNPOLICEABLE. It is to be hoped that it will fail, as it surely will.

How the Conservative Party tolerates Sunak’s incompetence is beyond my comprehension. The Party needs to get a grip before it goes the way of the dodo. Rishi Sunak is the last in a long line of failed Conservative leaders.

Were I to be Sunak, with all his money, I’d retire with despatch and be off to California to be with fellow crackpots. – © Mark Alexander

How Peter Thiel’s Palantir Pushed Toward the Heart of U.K. Health Care

Peter Thiel at a conference in Florida last year. At an event in England this year, he called public support for the N.H.S. “Stockholm syndrome.” | Chandan Khann/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Palantir, the analytics company led by Peter Thiel, has courted N.H.S. England with pandemic help and assertive lobbying. Its big reward may be yet to come.

It began with a £1 contract.

In the hours after a pandemic was declared in March 2020, Palantir, the secretive American data analytics company, was invited to 10 Downing Street along with other tech groups, including Amazon, Google and Meta, to discuss how it could help the British government respond.

Within days, Palantir’s software was processing streams of data from across England’s National Health Service, with Palantir engineers embedded to help. The company’s services, used by the C.I.A. and Western militaries for more than a decade, were deployed to track emergency room capacity and direct supplies of scarce equipment.

Palantir charged the government just one pound.

The deal provided the company with a valuable toehold. Since then, Palantir, which is chaired by Peter Thiel, the billionaire investor and one of President Donald J. Trump’s major 2016 donors, has parlayed the work into more than £60 million in government health contracts. Its biggest reward may be yet to come: a seven-year contract worth up to £480 million — about $590 million — to overhaul N.H.S. England’s outdated patient data system.

But an outcry over Palantir’s rapid ascent within the N.H.S., the beleaguered but beloved public institution that provides free health care across the country, has been building for months among some lawmakers, doctors and privacy campaigners. It could come to a head in October, when the winning bid is expected to be announced. » | Euan Ward and Adam Satariano | Euan Ward and Adam Satariano, reporting from London, spoke to health service officials, Palantir employees and industry insiders, as well as reviewing email correspondence and notes from internal meetings. | Friday, September 29, 2023

It would appear that the privatisation of our beloved National Health Service is to be kicked up a few notches. – © Mark Alexander

Lib Dems to Attack Tories on NHS and Pensions Triple Lock, Ed Davey Says

THE OBSERVER: The leader says his party is focusing on the NHS and protecting pensions to woo Conservatives in rural heartlands

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey at the Barton Hills nature reserve in June 2023 while campaigning in next month’s Mid Bedfordshire byelection. Photograph: Antonio Olmos/The Guardian
The Liberal Democrats are planning to open two fronts against the Conservatives in their traditional heartlands, with a campaign focused on NHS waiting lists and a pledge to protect the pensions triple lock.

In an interview with the Observer, Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, said that the scale of support his party had been receiving from lifelong Tory voters meant that there was now no Tory seat in either the “blue wall” or the Conservatives’ rural heartlands that was safe.

The Lib Dems are in an increasingly optimistic mood as their annual conference takes place this week after a string of byelection wins, including in Chesham and Amersham, and Tiverton and Honiton. There is also mounting concern among Tories in constituencies where the Lib Dems are in second place.

Davey’s party is now honing an election campaign designed to win over liberal, pro-remain Tory voters as well as rural communities that have been out of reach to the Lib Dems for years. He said that, unlike in the run-up to previous elections, concern about the NHS and GP waiting times was a “common thread” across all the voters it was targeting. » | Michael Savage, Policy Editor | Sunday, September 2023

In my opinion, this is the gentleman who would make the best prime minister for our times. This is the man who could lead this country out of the mess and morass we now find ourselves in after thirteen years of Tory screw-ups and misguided government. – © Mark Alexander

Huw Edwards Scandal: 'The BBC Should Stand Up for Itself More,' Says Sir Tony Blair

Jul 16, 2023 | The Sun is facing questions over its coverage of allegations against the 61-year-old newsreader - with some asking whether the claims should have been reported at all. Sky's Sophy Ridge asks former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair his opinion on whether or not certain institutions are "gunning for" the BBC.

Is Blair right about Brexit, though? Check this out here.

Theresa May Gets Booed Arriving at Luxury NHS Anniversary Dinner

Jul 6, 2023

All politicians are in it for themselves! The bloody lot of them! Especially the corrupt Tories.

This is such an irony! On the one hand, the Tories are doing their level best to destroy the National Health Service; yet on the other, they attend a luxury dinner celebrating its success. Go figure! By the way, almost all of those attendees will almost certainly be availing themselves of private healthcare. – Mark