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David Cameron dismisses 'desperate' Alex Salmond's NHS claims David Cameron dismisses 'desperate' Alex Salmond's NHS claims
(about 5 hours later)
David Cameron has dismissed Alex Salmond as a "desperate man" making a "desperate argument", after the Scottish first minister moved to rejuvenate the yes campaign by saying independence was the best way of protecting the NHS north of the border from Tory-led privatisation. David Cameron has dismissed Alex Salmond as a "desperate man" making a "desperate argument", after the Scottish first minister moved to rejuvenate the yes campaign by saying independence was the best way of protecting the NHS in Scotland from Tory-led privatisation.
As Salmond launched a new Arbroath "declaration of opportunity" to protect the NHS from a "privatisation and fragmentation agenda", the prime minister said the only person with the power to change the health service in Scotland was the first minister.As Salmond launched a new Arbroath "declaration of opportunity" to protect the NHS from a "privatisation and fragmentation agenda", the prime minister said the only person with the power to change the health service in Scotland was the first minister.
Speaking at the Relationships Alliance in London, Cameron said: "Health is a devolved issue so the only person who could, if they wanted to, introduce more private provision into the NHS is Scotland is Alex Salmond. So I think this is a desperate man recognising the argument is going away from him making a pretty desperate argument.Speaking at the Relationships Alliance in London, Cameron said: "Health is a devolved issue so the only person who could, if they wanted to, introduce more private provision into the NHS is Scotland is Alex Salmond. So I think this is a desperate man recognising the argument is going away from him making a pretty desperate argument.
"Actually, because of the protection on NHS spending that the UK government has given, that we have not cut NHS spending while we have had to make difficult decisions elsewhere – that has actually made sure under the Barnett formula that money is available for Scotland as well. So I think that argument doesn't stack up at all.""Actually, because of the protection on NHS spending that the UK government has given, that we have not cut NHS spending while we have had to make difficult decisions elsewhere – that has actually made sure under the Barnett formula that money is available for Scotland as well. So I think that argument doesn't stack up at all."
Salmond was forced to admit that under the Barnett formula – a mechanism established in the 1970s by which Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each get a fixed share of Whitehall spending – the NHS budget in Scotland had been protected during this Westminster parliament after the prime minister pledged to ringfence NHS spending. Cameron was speaking before of a widely trailed speech in which Salmond urged Scotland to use next month's independence referendum to "take power out of the hands of the Westminster elite and into the hands of the people of Scotland".
Attempting to seize back the initiative after a bruising week of scrutiny over his currency plans, Salmond spent the day in Arbroath, where the declaration of Scottish sovereignty was drafted in 1320. Salmond said yes campaigners were upbeat after a series of polls showed they were closing the gap on the pro-union side. A YouGov/Times poll found that support for independence had risen by four points in a week.
Salmond pledged to protect the NHS from cuts and privatisation, create a fairer country and give young people the chance to build their future in an independent Scotland with "a strong economy, a just society and a good quality of life for all".
He was forced to admit that under the Barnett formula – a mechanism established in the 1970s by which Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each get a fixed share of Whitehall spending – the NHS budget in Scotland had been protected during this Westminster parliament after the prime minister pledged to ringfence NHS spending.
Under the so called Barnett consequentials, a rise in spending delivered in England has to be matched in Scotland and the other devolved nations. It is up to the Scottish government how to distribute funds.Under the so called Barnett consequentials, a rise in spending delivered in England has to be matched in Scotland and the other devolved nations. It is up to the Scottish government how to distribute funds.
Salmond told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland: "The consequentials have gone up in the context of [an overall Scottish] budget that has declined by 8% in real terms."Salmond told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland: "The consequentials have gone up in the context of [an overall Scottish] budget that has declined by 8% in real terms."
The first minister said a written constitution would protect the NHS. He told the BBC: "This is a declaration of opportunity. Ridding Scotland of nuclear weapons, having a public national health service protecting us against the privatisation agenda which is being pursued south of the border – these are our contributions to the constitutional debate as we arrive at a written constitution for an independent Scotland."The first minister said a written constitution would protect the NHS. He told the BBC: "This is a declaration of opportunity. Ridding Scotland of nuclear weapons, having a public national health service protecting us against the privatisation agenda which is being pursued south of the border – these are our contributions to the constitutional debate as we arrive at a written constitution for an independent Scotland."
Salmond said yes campaigners were upbeat after a series of polls showed they were closing the gap on the pro-union side. He told the BBC: "The yes campaign has a spring in their step because we have had three opinion polls over this weekend showing significant gains for the yes campaign." Labour's shadow business secretary, Chuka Umunna MP, will warn on Tuesday that Salmond's failure to lay out a Plan B for currency is a risk to Scottish jobs and business. Speaking in advance of a visit to Scotland, Umunna said: "Businesses have already warned about the uncertainty that the referendum is creating."
A YouGov/Times poll found that support for independence had risen by four points in a week. The poll found 38% supported independence, 51% supported the union and 11% said they did not know or would not vote.