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Minister dismisses cabinet NHS split 'tittle tattle' Andrew Lansley hits back over NHS bill
(40 minutes later)
  
Ministers have defended the controversial NHS bill, amid reports that three Conservative cabinet ministers have concerns about it. Health Secretary Andrew Lansley says the government is "committed" to the NHS bill, amid reports that three Tory cabinet ministers have concerns.
Tim Montgomerie, of the grassroots ConservativeHome website, said he was prompted to write a critical editorial by the ministers' intervention.Tim Montgomerie, of the grassroots ConservativeHome website, said he was prompted to write a critical editorial by the ministers' intervention.
Health Minister Simon Burns said that was "tittle tattle" and in Parliament there was "solid support" for reform. Mr Lansley said his party was "working together" on NHS reform in England.
The prime minister has backed the bill amid calls from Labour to drop it. He denied that he personally had lost Conservative support and rejected suggestions he should resign.
He also stood by his health secretary, Andrew Lansley, amid speculation about his position following opposition to the bill from medical professionals' groups. There has been speculation about his position following continuing opposition to the bill, which applies to England, from medical professionals' groups.
'Political problem''Political problem'
Asked if he would resign to get the bill through if necessary, he said: "No... we as a government are committed to supporting the NHS.
"This legislation has been supported by the House of Commons, supported by the House of Lords, the bill has been amended to take account of many changes."
He said the changes had backing from GPs already running clinical commissioning services and local authority chief executives.
"We as a government are committed, not just to this legislation, it's not about the bill as such - it's about what the bill enables the NHS to achieve in the future."
Mr Lansley, who was heckled on a visit to Edinburgh, said he and the government believed in the NHS - but it had to be modernised to deliver "the best care in the future".
"Across the Conservative Party, in the coalition government we are working together and indeed working right across the NHS."
His comments follow an editorial by Mr Montgomerie, whose website describes itself as "independent of the Conservative Party but supportive of it", that argued putting the NHS back at the centre of debate was David Cameron's biggest mistake as PM.
In an interview with the BBC, he would not name the ministers he said had contacted him with concerns.
But he said: "This is something that has come from three members of the cabinet. Over the last 48 hours I've been speaking to a lot of people inside the Conservative machine, inside the Conservative team and there's huge concern about the NHS bill."
He said the NHS was going to have difficult years ahead - because of tight spending - anyway: "The problem for the Conservative Party and for the Liberal Democrats now is that every problem in the NHS that would have happened anyway, because of that financial situation, is going to be blamed on the bill."
The Health and Social Care Bill introduces the biggest shake-up since the founding of the NHS in 1948, putting GPs in control of much of its budget and encouraging greater competition with the private sector.The Health and Social Care Bill introduces the biggest shake-up since the founding of the NHS in 1948, putting GPs in control of much of its budget and encouraging greater competition with the private sector.
Among concessions offered by the government was an amendment to strengthen the accountability of the health secretary, to guarantee "beyond doubt" his duty to keep the overall NHS intact.Among concessions offered by the government was an amendment to strengthen the accountability of the health secretary, to guarantee "beyond doubt" his duty to keep the overall NHS intact.
But Mr Montgomerie, whose website describes itself as "independent of the Conservative Party but supportive of it", argued that putting the NHS back at the centre of debate was David Cameron's biggest mistake as PM. BBC political editor Nick Robinson said there had been a debate within the coalition about whether the bill was necessary for some of the changes to be implemented.
In an interview with the BBC, he would not name the ministers he said had contacted him with concerns.
'Going to be blamed'
But he said he had not just written it because of a "rush of blood to the head".
"This is something that has come from three members of the cabinet. Over the last 48 hours I've been speaking to a lot of people inside the Conservative machine, inside the Conservative team and there's huge concern about the NHS bill."
He said the NHS was going to have difficult years ahead - because of tight spending - anyway: "The problem for the Conservative Party and for the Liberal Democrats now is that every problem in the NHS that would have happened anyway, because of that financial situation, is going to be blamed on the bill.
"The consensus seems to be that if the bill really was transformational then perhaps the pain would be worth it. But actually most of the things that are necessary for the NHS to improve, for efficiencies to be delivered, could be achieved without the bill."
BBC political editor Nick Robinson said there had been a debate within the coalition about whether the bill was necessary for some of the changes to be implemented - and some blamed Health Secretary Andrew Lansley for messing up the presentation of the policy.
But he added Mr Cameron had already passed up two opportunities to remove Mr Lansley as health secretary - in mini-reshuffles prompted by the resignations of Liam Fox and Chris Huhne.But he added Mr Cameron had already passed up two opportunities to remove Mr Lansley as health secretary - in mini-reshuffles prompted by the resignations of Liam Fox and Chris Huhne.
In response to Mr Montgomerie's article, Conservative co-chairman Baroness Warsi wrote on the same website that the bill "represents the most radical decentralisation of power that the NHS has witnessed in its history" and Conservatives had a "duty to support it". Earlier Health Minister Simon Burns dismissed the reported opposition of three Conservative cabinet ministers as "tittle-tattle" and said modernising the NHS was more important than "the noises off".
Asked about the apparent opposition of three Conservative cabinet ministers, Health Minister Simon Burns told the BBC: "It's tittle tattle and what's more important is the NHS is able to move forward, modernise and ensure patients are in the heart of decision-making on their treatment and care, that bureaucracy is cut.
"That is the change that is the important issue, not the noises off."
He added that dropping the bill, as Labour has suggested, "just can't be an option because, despite what [shadow health secretary] Andy Burnham says, you do actually need legislation to abolish strategic health authorities and primary care trusts."
But Lib Dem MP John Pugh - who has criticised the reforms - told BBC Radio 4's World at One that the ConservativeHome report "chimes .. with what I myself have learnt in conversations with Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in the last few days".But Lib Dem MP John Pugh - who has criticised the reforms - told BBC Radio 4's World at One that the ConservativeHome report "chimes .. with what I myself have learnt in conversations with Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in the last few days".
He said the bill had been improved - but was still about the "marketisation of the NHS", and professional and public opinion had "hardened quite considerably against that".He said the bill had been improved - but was still about the "marketisation of the NHS", and professional and public opinion had "hardened quite considerably against that".
For Labour, Mr Burnham told the BBC: "I'm pleased this morning to welcome members of the cabinet to the 'Drop the Bill' campaign. For Labour, Andy Burnham told the BBC he was pleased "to welcome members of the cabinet to the 'Drop the Bill' campaign".
"It leaves the prime minister looking dangerously isolated and out of touch.""It leaves the prime minister looking dangerously isolated and out of touch."
This week the government made 136 changes to its own plans to reform the NHS in England to try to get the bill through the House of Lords.