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| Politics live blog: Monday 20 February 2012 | Politics live blog: Monday 20 February 2012 |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| 10.21am: Vince Cable, the business secretary, has today confirmed that Professor Les Ebdon will become the director of the Office for Fair Access, the university admissions regulator. | |
| 10.08am: Our NHS reforms live blog is back in action today to cover the Number 10 summit. It has just launched. | |
| 9.15am: And here are some more critical comments on today's NHS summit. | 9.15am: And here are some more critical comments on today's NHS summit. |
| From Andy Burnham (pictured), the shadow health secretary | From Andy Burnham (pictured), the shadow health secretary |
| The NHS matters too much to too many people for Mr Cameron to play what is a dangerous game of divide-and-rule. People have got strong and sincerely held views about what's happening to the NHS now and they deserve a hearing, they don't deserve to have the door of Number 10 shut in their faces. | The NHS matters too much to too many people for Mr Cameron to play what is a dangerous game of divide-and-rule. People have got strong and sincerely held views about what's happening to the NHS now and they deserve a hearing, they don't deserve to have the door of Number 10 shut in their faces. |
| From Peter Carter, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing | From Peter Carter, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing |
| We are committed to work with the government even though we have huge reservations about this bill and we really don't think it's a very sensible way forward to have a meeting – it's been called an emergency summit – without involving many of the key organisation that are intrinsic to ensuring that the NHS is successful. | We are committed to work with the government even though we have huge reservations about this bill and we really don't think it's a very sensible way forward to have a meeting – it's been called an emergency summit – without involving many of the key organisation that are intrinsic to ensuring that the NHS is successful. |
| When you say 'those that are opposed', let's be clear, these are the organisations that represent the vast majority of the people who work in the NHS. We have honestly held, sincere concerns about this bill. What we know is that this bill when it came to the Lords had hundreds of amendments, just a few weeks ago Earl Howe had to table another 130 amendments and this would indicate to us this is a piece of legislation that's not been properly thought through. In parallel with that the NHS is going through this huge challenge of trying to save £20bn. This is a costly set of reforms which the NHS we do not believe needs. | When you say 'those that are opposed', let's be clear, these are the organisations that represent the vast majority of the people who work in the NHS. We have honestly held, sincere concerns about this bill. What we know is that this bill when it came to the Lords had hundreds of amendments, just a few weeks ago Earl Howe had to table another 130 amendments and this would indicate to us this is a piece of legislation that's not been properly thought through. In parallel with that the NHS is going through this huge challenge of trying to save £20bn. This is a costly set of reforms which the NHS we do not believe needs. |
| From Phi Gray, chief executive of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy | From Phi Gray, chief executive of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy |
| It is extremely concerning that many of the key professional bodies and healthcare organisations which will be expected to work with the changes that the Bill will bring, have been excluded from what is clearly a crucial meeting. If new legislation is to succeed it is vital that those raising concerns are listened to and it is disappointing to see that so many organisations are being shut out of the process. | It is extremely concerning that many of the key professional bodies and healthcare organisations which will be expected to work with the changes that the Bill will bring, have been excluded from what is clearly a crucial meeting. If new legislation is to succeed it is vital that those raising concerns are listened to and it is disappointing to see that so many organisations are being shut out of the process. |
| 9.04am: On Radio 5 Live this morning Jon Skewes, director of employment relations and development at Royal College of Midwives, said that representatives of only 5% of professionals in the NHS were being invited to the health summit. I've taken the quote from PoliticsHome. | 9.04am: On Radio 5 Live this morning Jon Skewes, director of employment relations and development at Royal College of Midwives, said that representatives of only 5% of professionals in the NHS were being invited to the health summit. I've taken the quote from PoliticsHome. |
| What's happening here is effectively that about 5% of professionals in the health service are being invited to this summit; the people who agree or possibly, a better way of putting it, haven't publicly disagreed with the government on this bill. Ninety five percent, including the Royal College of GPs, including ourselves, the nurses, pretty much most professions in the NHS, have disagreed fundamentally with this bill as it goes into the Lords now. | What's happening here is effectively that about 5% of professionals in the health service are being invited to this summit; the people who agree or possibly, a better way of putting it, haven't publicly disagreed with the government on this bill. Ninety five percent, including the Royal College of GPs, including ourselves, the nurses, pretty much most professions in the NHS, have disagreed fundamentally with this bill as it goes into the Lords now. |
| 8.40am: The health bill is back at the top of the news. David Cameron is hosting a health summit at Number 10 and, as the Guardian reports this morning, he has angered some in the health lobby by excluding organisations like the BMA and the Royal College of General Practitioners who are opposed to the bill. On the Today programme, after recovering from the shock of being introduced by Sarah Montague as a Liberal Democrat, the (Conservative) health minister Simon Burns said there was nothing unusual about this. | 8.40am: The health bill is back at the top of the news. David Cameron is hosting a health summit at Number 10 and, as the Guardian reports this morning, he has angered some in the health lobby by excluding organisations like the BMA and the Royal College of General Practitioners who are opposed to the bill. On the Today programme, after recovering from the shock of being introduced by Sarah Montague as a Liberal Democrat, the (Conservative) health minister Simon Burns said there was nothing unusual about this. |
| I don't think it's odd at all because this is part of an ongoing dialogue. We have had hundreds of meetings. There have been thousands of people involved in talking and looking into ways of improving and engaging on the health bill ... We are on this occasion meeting those organisations who are constructively engaged in implementing the modernisation. | I don't think it's odd at all because this is part of an ongoing dialogue. We have had hundreds of meetings. There have been thousands of people involved in talking and looking into ways of improving and engaging on the health bill ... We are on this occasion meeting those organisations who are constructively engaged in implementing the modernisation. |
| I'm not sure what we're going to learn from it, but I'll be covering it anyway. | I'm not sure what we're going to learn from it, but I'll be covering it anyway. |
| Here's the full diary for the day. | Here's the full diary for the day. |
| 10.30am: Public sector unions launch an appeal after losing their legal challenge to the government's decision to change the way pensions are uprated in line with inflation. | 10.30am: Public sector unions launch an appeal after losing their legal challenge to the government's decision to change the way pensions are uprated in line with inflation. |
| Afternoon: David Cameron hosts an NHS summit at Number 10. As Patrick Wintour reports, Cameron has triggered a row by excluding groups opposed to the health bill. 2pm: Ed Miliband holds a Q&A with staff and patients on a visit to Homerton University hospital in London | Afternoon: David Cameron hosts an NHS summit at Number 10. As Patrick Wintour reports, Cameron has triggered a row by excluding groups opposed to the health bill. 2pm: Ed Miliband holds a Q&A with staff and patients on a visit to Homerton University hospital in London |
| 2.30pm: Philip Hammond, the defence secretary, takes questions in the Commons. | 2.30pm: Philip Hammond, the defence secretary, takes questions in the Commons. |
| 3.30pm: MPs start debating a backbench motion tabled by the Tory MP John Baron saying "the use of force against Iran would be wholly counter-productive and would serve only to encourage any development of nuclear weapons". | 3.30pm: MPs start debating a backbench motion tabled by the Tory MP John Baron saying "the use of force against Iran would be wholly counter-productive and would serve only to encourage any development of nuclear weapons". |
| As usual, I'll be covering all the breaking political news, as well as looking at the papers and bringing you the best politics from the web. I'll post a summary at around 1pm and another at around 4pm. | As usual, I'll be covering all the breaking political news, as well as looking at the papers and bringing you the best politics from the web. I'll post a summary at around 1pm and another at around 4pm. |
| If you want to follow me on Twitter, I'm on @AndrewSparrow. | If you want to follow me on Twitter, I'm on @AndrewSparrow. |
| And if you're a hardcore fan, you can follow @gdnpoliticslive. It's an automated feed that tweets the start of every new post that I put on the blog. | And if you're a hardcore fan, you can follow @gdnpoliticslive. It's an automated feed that tweets the start of every new post that I put on the blog. |