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NHS attack by MEP 'unpatriotic' NHS attack by MEP 'unpatriotic'
(about 1 hour later)
Health Secretary Andy Burnham has accused a Tory MEP who attacked the NHS on American TV of being "unpatriotic".Health Secretary Andy Burnham has accused a Tory MEP who attacked the NHS on American TV of being "unpatriotic".
Labour has stepped up its criticism of Daniel Hannan, with John Prescott recording a YouTube message to the American people defending the NHS. Labour has stepped up its criticism of Daniel Hannan, who waded into the debate over Barack Obama's health bill.
Tory leader David Cameron has insisted the NHS is his "number one priority" and dismissed Mr Hannan as "eccentric". They claim his view - that the NHS is outdated, unfair and should be scrapped - is shared by many Conservatives.
The MEP described Britain's health service a "60 year mistake" in a debate on Barack Obama's health reforms. But David Cameron said Mr Hannan's view was "eccentric" and accused Labour of making a meal of the row, stressing that the NHS was his top priority.
Labour and the Lib Dems have seized on the comments - and others made last week on Fox News - to claim that they represent the views of many in the Conservative Party. Mr Hannan has made a series of appearances on American television in recent weeks, describing the NHS as "60 year mistake" and saying that he "wouldn't wish it on anyone".
Mr Burnham said: "What has happened within the last 48 hours is what Cameron has feared most because it lays bare the Tories' deep ambivalence towards the NHS." 'Ring-fenced funding'
'Insult' He has stressed that these are his own views and not those of the party - but they were backed by fellow Tory MEP Roger Helmer, who told BBC Radio 4's PM programme: "I think Dan has done us a service by raising these issues which need to be looked at.
And he hit back at criticism that the government had not done enough to defend the NHS from attacks in the US, saying: "We will stand up for the NHS and we will make sure that it is properly represented in the international media. And that is why what Mr Hannan has done disappoints me so much. The Conservative Party stands four square behind the NHS Conservative leader David Cameron class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8201132.stm">Analysis: A healthy debate?
"If 80% of Americans are getting better health care than we are in the UK then we ought to ask why, and we ought to ask how are we going to deliver equally good results."
Tory leader David Cameron, who has vowed to protect health from spending cuts if he comes to power, has been at pains to stress his commitment to the NHS and distance himself from Mr Hannan.
"The Conservative Party stands four square behind the NHS," he told BBC News.
"We are the party of the NHS, we back it, we are going to expand it, we have ring-fenced it and said that it will get more money under a Conservative government, and it is our number one mission to improve it."
And he rebuked Mr Hannan, saying: "He does have some quite eccentric views about some things, and political parties always include some people who don't toe the party line on one issue or another issue."
'Unpatriotic'
The Leader of the Conservative group in the European Parliament, Timothy Kirkhope told the BBC he believes Mr Hannan should be disciplined for his comments about the NHS and said he would be given a "stern talking to" by the party's chief whip Brussels.
Healthcare around the worldHealthcare around the world
But Mr Hannan's words have been seized on by Labour and the Liberal Democrats who have questioned the party's commitment to the NHS.
Health Secretary Andy Burnham said: "What has happened within the last 48 hours is what Cameron has feared most because it lays bare the Tories' deep ambivalence towards the NHS."
And he hit back at criticism that the government had not done enough to defend the NHS from attacks in the US, saying: "We will stand up for the NHS and we will make sure that it is properly represented in the international media. And that is why what Mr Hannan has done disappoints me so much.
"I would almost feel... it is unpatriotic because he is talking in foreign media and not representing, in my view, the views of the vast majority of British people and actually, I think giving an unfair impression of the National Health Service himself, a British representative on foreign media.""I would almost feel... it is unpatriotic because he is talking in foreign media and not representing, in my view, the views of the vast majority of British people and actually, I think giving an unfair impression of the National Health Service himself, a British representative on foreign media."
'Duped'
He said Mr Hannan's words were an "insult" to the 1.4m NHS workers and "he should not be voicing those views in the foreign media in my view".He said Mr Hannan's words were an "insult" to the 1.4m NHS workers and "he should not be voicing those views in the foreign media in my view".
Former deputy prime minister John Prescott has recorded a video message to the American people defending the NHS, which has come under fire from critics of Barack Obama's health reforms. Former deputy prime minister John Prescott has recorded a video message to the American people accusing Mr Hannan of "misrepresentation of the NHS here in Britain".
In the clip, recorded on the House of Commons terrace, Mr Prescott accuses Mr Hannan of "misrepresentation of the NHS here in Britain" and says the British people are "proud of our health service".
The Conservative Party stands four square behind the NHS Conservative leader David Cameron Analysis: A healthy debate?
But the Conservatives have accused Labour of "making a meal" of the row and shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley challenged the government to match "real terms increases" in health spending pledged by the Tories.
But Mr Cameron, who has sought to portray the Conservatives as the party of the NHS, and has said health spending will be protected from cuts under a Tory government, said the health service was a "great national institution".
"The Conservative Party stands four square behind the NHS," he told BBC News in his Oxfordshire constituency.
"We are the party of the NHS, we back it, we are going to expand it, we have ring-fenced it and said that it will get more money under a Conservative government, and it is our number one mission to improve it."
'Worst nightmare'
And he rebuked Mr Hannan, whose trenchant views on Europe and strongly-worded YouTube attack on Gordon Brown have gained him a following among grassroots Tories, saying: "He does have some quite eccentric views about some things, and political parties always include some people who don't toe the party line on one issue or another issue."
The Leader of the Conservative group in the European Parliament has said he believes Mr Hannan should be disciplined for his comments about the NHS.
Timothy Kirkhope said Mr Hannan should be given a "stern talking-to" by the chief whip in Brussels, although he described the disciplinary process regarding Euro MPs as a grey area in this case, as Mr Hannan was speaking about a policy area not decided by the European Parliament.
Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb claimed Mr Hannan's views, far from being "maverick", were shared by "many people within the Conservative Party".
He also hit back at criticisms of the NHS from Republican-supporting critics of Obama's health bill as a "gross distortion" of the truth about Britain's health service.
It comes after Prime Minister Gordon Brown joined a Twitter campaign to defend the NHS.
David Cameron says Hannan's views are ''eccentric''David Cameron says Hannan's views are ''eccentric''
The welovetheNHS tag has received tens of thousands of messages of support during the past few days from NHS staff and former patients after it was branded "Orwellian" and "evil" by Republican critics of Mr Obama's health reforms. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Gordon Brown took the unusual step of adding his voices to the welovetheNHS Twitter campaign, set up defend the health service from US attacks.
The prime minister took the unusual step of adding his voice to the campaign in a message posted from Downing Street's Twitter feed, in which he said "thanks for always being there". His wife Sarah, also sent a message of support to the campaign. In a message posted from Downing Street's Twitter feed, the PM said "thanks for always being there". His wife Sarah, also sent a message of support to the campaign.
Many of the Twitter messages reacted angrily to Mr Hannan's criticism of the NHS, which he attacked on US TV, saying he "wouldn't wish it on anyone". US critics of the NHS claim it is an example of an overly-bureaucratic system which rations care and denies treatment to the elderly.
US critics of the NHS see it as an overly-bureaucratic "socialized" system which rations care. But campaign groups and right wing pundits have also attacked it as "socialist", with one TV debate even discussing whether it was a breeding ground for terrorism.
But one British woman said she felt duped after becoming the unwitting star of an anti-Obama health campaign. One British woman said she felt "duped" after becoming the unwitting star of an anti-Obama health campaign.
FROM THE PM PROGRAMME More from PM
Kate Spall, who appeared in a US free market group's TV commercial opposing Mr Obama's health bill, said her views were misrepresented.Kate Spall, who appeared in a US free market group's TV commercial opposing Mr Obama's health bill, said her views were misrepresented.
She told the Times: "It has been a bit of a nightmare. It was a real test of my naivety. I am a very trusting person and for me it has been a big lesson. I feel I was duped." She told BBC Radio 4's The World at One: " "Absolutely I was deceived yes because when I then found out the link to the website and it was a huge political machine I was horrified because it was the polar opposite of what I believe in. I absolutely believe in universal health care."
Ms Spall and fellow Briton Katie Brickell's descriptions of poor treatment at the hands of the NHS featured in the Conservatives for Patients' Rights (CPR) advert.Ms Spall and fellow Briton Katie Brickell's descriptions of poor treatment at the hands of the NHS featured in the Conservatives for Patients' Rights (CPR) advert.