Shadow Minister for Health, Andrew Lansley, has hit back at Labour MP, Claire Ward, over unfounded allegations regarding the Watford Health Campus. In a letter to Ms Ward, the Shadow Minister reiterated that a Conservative government would end Labour’s programme of service closures and highlighted the current government’s failure to deliver on its promises over the Watford Health Campus. Meanwhile, the prospective Conservative MP for Watford, Richard Harrington, continued to throw his support behind the future of the Health Campus.

In the letter Mr Lansley refuted Ms Ward’s unfounded claims that Hemel MP, Mike Penning, wanted to close Watford Hospital saying,
“Mike Penning has never advocated closing down services at Watford.”

He then went on to highlight Ward’s own failures to deliver what she promised for the people of Watford.

“It is worth remembering that this question would never have arisen had the Government delivered on its promise for a £300 million PFI investment in Watford hospital. I believe your election literature ‘guaranteed’ this development, which has not transpired… I am sure that local people would welcome an explanation as to the whereabouts of the proposed investment.”

Richard Harrington welcomed Mr Lansley’s comments and said that this should put an end to the opposition’s erroneous claims.

Harrington said,

“I am glad that Andrew has shown these opposition claims to be nothing more than political rumour-mongering.

“The future of the Watford Health Campus, and indeed the NHS, is safest in Conservative hands. The Health Campus has not received the funding it was promised by our current MP. She has shown that she cannot deliver.

“David Cameron will make the NHS his top spending priority if he becomes prime Minister.  If I am elected I will be best placed to fight for the funding we want for the Health Campus. I fully support the project and want to see it completed.”