Another hurdle for Lansley’s health reforms

And so it came to pass. After sniping at Andrew Lansley’s health reforms from the day they were announced — at one point describing them as a “slash and burn approach” — the British Medical Association has today voted to call on the Health Secretary to withdraw his Bill entirely. The speech that the BMA Council Chairman, Hamish Meldrum delivered this morning captures the tenor of their opposition:

“…what we have is an often contradictory set of proposals, driven by ideology rather than evidence, enshrined in ill-thought-through legislation and implemented in a rush during a major economic downturn.”

So what to make of it all? Normally, another “union opposes coalition” story could just be tucked away in the folder marked Wearily Unsurprising. But the similar sentiments emerging from last weekend’s Lib Dem conference, and elsewhere, lend this one a little extra bite. The political context in which Lansley is operating is becoming ever more poisonous — to the point where the coalition is unlikely to ignore it.

For the time being, it’s far from probable that the NHS Bill will be withdrawn. Even Meldrum suggested that this is an “unachievable” feat for the BMA and its allies. But the idea of compromise is probably more attractive to the coalition, and particularly its yellow half, after the past week. Governments can only operate on so many fronts at once. This one is doing so, with some success, on the public finances, welfare and education — the areas where it put it most preparation before the election. By contrast, Lansley’s reforms are struggling against hurdle after hurdle. They may have to be reworked just to keep pace.