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Watch: Matt Hancock factchecks SNP health claims

Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images

At health questions in the House of Commons yesterday, Angus MP Dave Doogan popped up to compare the funding in health services either side of the border. Sporting a well groomed lockdown beard, the SNP man came out with a nice line of boilerplate party rhetoric:

The Secretary of State knows that the SNP has committed to increase NHS funding in Scotland by 20%. Will he commit to a similar uplift for NHS England in order to help drive the recovery of the NHS after coronavirus and truly build back better?

But Hancock shot back with a response that pointed out that the proposed increase in Scotland was lower than in England and demanded to know what happened to ‘the missing millions’ given to Holyrood by the government in Westminster:

I recently saw the figures for the proposed increase for NHS spending in Scotland. The proposed increase is lower than in England; it is lower than the money that has been passed over to the Scottish Government from UK taxpayers to spend on the NHS in Scotland. My question is: what has happened to the money for the NHS in Scotland that was given to the SNP Government in Holyrood? They have not spent it on the NHS. We know that they have many wasteful projects. Thankfully, we work very closely together on important things such as the vaccination effort, which has been a true UK success story, but this question of the missing millions for the NHS in Scotland is one that we need answers to from the Government in Holyrood.

You can watch the exchange below:


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Steerpike
Written by
Steerpike

Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

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