Who cares if Rishi Sunak uses a private GP?

Rishi Sunak is absolutely right to say, in softer terms, that his family’s healthcare arrangements are no one’s business.

There is a reason that one of the core tenets of the Hippocratic Oath is confidentiality: accessing healthcare is a deeply personal and private matter. That’s as true for the prime minister as it is for anyone else. That right to privacy doesn’t diminish because it’s suspected that an insurance bill or out-of-pocket fee might be involved in the process.

This is one of the many ugly ironies of socialised medicine: a purported universal public service gets used as a political tool to single out and criticise people (often politicians) who might go about accessing care in a different way. But, as he searches for any and all solutions to improve current service levels in the coming months, pressure will only build for Sunak to answer questions about his family’s GP and healthcare set-up.