Andy Burnham's car crash interview shows why Labour can't be trusted with the NHS

If Labour is weaponising the NHS, maybe it needs to sharpen its tools. Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham had a difficult and ill-tempered interview on Newsnight yesterday about what he actually thinks about private sector involvement in the NHS. When asked about the role he sees for the private sector under his reshaped health service, Burnham said private companies would not be entirely excluded:

‘There is still a role for private and voluntary providers but I also did say very clearly that the market is not the answer.’

Presented with a graph (below) showing how private sector outsourcing grew to four per cent under Labour — but rose two per cent under the coalition — Burnham was unable to say what he thinks is the right level:

‘There isn’t a right percentage. I’m very clear that the NHS should be our preferred provider so I don’t see a role for the private sector where it can replace core public provision at the heart of every community.’