THE SNP would not vote against privatisation in the English health service provided it has no impact on Scottish spending, Scottish Health Secretary Shona Robison has said.
The SNP MSP confirmed her party would respect the principle of English votes for English laws, including its right to seek more private sector involvement in the NHS, as long as it has no impact on Scotland’s share of public funding.
Polls suggest the SNP could have a substantial influence in the next UK parliament and its decision to abstain on the English NHS could lead to some tight votes in the event of a hung parliament.
Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy said Robison’s ‘shameful’ comments suggest she ‘couldn’t care less as to whether the NHS is in public or private hands’.
Robison accompanied SNP candidate Tommy Sheppard to target voters in the Edinburgh East constituency this morning.
Speaking on Portobello High Street, she said: ‘Obviously we don’t think the NHS in England is going in the right direction with the involvement of the private sector and so on. But that’s up to them if they want to structure the NHS in that way as long as the impact of that doesn’t affect public spending.
‘If we were to see a reduction in public spending in England, that’s where it gets into the territory of affecting public spending in Scotland. We will define the votes according to whether it has an impact on the NHS in Scotland.’
She added: ‘We don’t believe the direction of the NHS is good; many health professionals say the same. The fragmentation of the health service in England, the role of the private sector, the way that it has become very much a marketplace, I don’t think that is good for the NHS in any parts of these islands.
‘But at the end of the day that’s the political decision that those running the NHS in England have made. What’s important, though, is that any impact on the public spend – because the private sector in England does have an impact on public spending – that’s where we would stand against it and vote against it.’
Murphy commented: ‘The NHS is Labour’s greatest achievement. It’s got to stay in public hands. The Labour Party will stand absolutely against the privatisation of the NHS whether it is north of the border or south of the border.
‘We’ve seen a big increase in private companies in the NHS in Scotland in recent years under the SNP, so whether it is in Scotland or in England, the Labour Party believes in a public NHS.
‘I think it’s shameful that the SNP health minister says “I couldn’t care less as to whether the NHS is in public or private hands. The NHS isn’t for sale and the Labour Party is clear about that.’
