Nick Clegg’s speech on the NHS today has fanned the flames of the Tory backbench rebellion on the issue. Tory MPs’ tribal instincts have kicked in and even those who were worried about the Lansley plan are now swinging behind it. As Nick Watt revealed earlier today, there’s currently a letter from Nick de Bois urging Tory MPs to set out their red lines on health service reform.
One thing that Tory MPs keep repeating to me is that they are not prepared to see the Lib Dems ‘take the NHS backwards’. This is their most fundamental red line and it translates to a determination not to have the level of competition and private sector involvement in the health service reduced.
The other great worry of Tory MPs is what message the coalition’s retreat on this issue sends out. Many fear that it will encourage every trade union and interest group to have a pop at the government in the expectation of forcing it to u-turn or water down its proposals.
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