Labour like to campaign with the slogan ‘our NHS’, but are they taking their claim of owning the health service a little bit too far? Dr Mark Hayes is standing for the party in Selby, Yorkshire yet remains head of the local NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). When questions were raised about a conflict of interest between the roles, the good doctor admitted using NHS resources for his campaign, saying ‘the CCG will protect me from unwanted media enquiries.’
Why exactly is the taxpayer stumping up to field awkward questions for a Labour candidate? If Labour do win, Hayes is out of a job: Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham has pledged to all but scrap CCGs all together. A turkey actually voting for Christmas.
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