Today MPs are debating a matter of conscience, invoking their personal religious beliefs as they examine the same sex marriage bill. The debate has largely remained remarkably respectful thus far. But tomorrow the Prime Minister will give a statement on another matter that stirs similar religious fervour: the NHS.
It will be David Cameron who delivers the government’s response to the Francis Report on the failings of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust, not the Health Secretary. The Prime Minister manages these occasions well: we saw that with the Bloody Sunday and Hillsborough statements.
British voters might, according to the latest census data, be losing their religion. But when it comes to the NHS, they remain faithful. Health policy is named by 36 per cent of voters as an important issue influencing their 2015 vote, below only the economy and immigration.
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