British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Health Secretary Wes Streeting, visit to the University College London Hospital (UCLH), in London.
| Photo Credit: AP

LONDON

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said the country’s National Health Service (NHS) needs to “reform or die” following a damming report on the state of Britain’s free healthcare system.

“We know working people can’t afford to pay more, so it’s reform or die,” Mr. Starmer said during a speech on Thursday (September 12, 2024).

The remarks followed the publication of a government commissioned report, authored by former U.K. Health Secretary and doctor, Ara Darzi, which said that the NHS was in “critical condition” although its  “vital signs” were strong.

The report cites 14,000 additional deaths per year owing to the state of the healthcare system, long wait times, “crumbling buildings” and  mental health patients being housed in “Victorian-era cells infested with vermin”. A lack of capital investment during the 2010s, when the Conservative government was in power, as well as the impact of the pandemic were contributing factors to the current situation, as per the report.

Describing the state of the NHS as “devastating, heartbreaking, infuriating”, Mr. Starmer said there would be no extra funding for  the system without reform, as he outlined a ten year reform period centred on three thematic changes. Mr. Starmer said the NHS would shift to greater digitisation, preventative medicine and more community-based – rather than hospital-based – care for patients.

The NHS is a significant employer of foreigners, with Indians leading the list. A total of 60,533 Indian citizens were employed by the service as per the U.K. government data from June 2023.

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visits The Hub – Solihull Mosque, in Solihull, West Midlands, England, on August 8, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday (August 8, 2024) vowed no “let up” in moves to prevent further far-right riots across England, after more anticipated street violence failed to materialise overnight.

“It’s important that we don’t let up here,” Mr. Starmer told media outlets as he visited a mosque and met community leaders in Solihull, western England, following the easing of more than a week of unrest in towns and cities nationwide.

Rioters thwarted by ‘show of unity’ by communities, says police chief

A heavy security presence across Britain and a “show of unity” by local communities prevented a repeat of the widespread rioting seen in recent days involving racist attacks targeting Muslims and migrants, London’s police chief said on Thursday (August 8, 2024).

Britain has been hit by a series of riots after the killing of three young girls in a July 29 knife attack in Southport, northwest England, triggering a wave of false online posts that wrongly identified the suspected killer as an Islamist migrant.

Far-right groups opposed to immigration planned dozens of gatherings across the UK on Wednesday.

In response, thousands of police and anti-racism protesters gathered in cities across the United Kingdom and London’s Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said the night had gone “very peacefully” apart from a few criminal incidents.

“I think the show of force from the police, and frankly, the show of unity from communities, together defeated the challenges that we’ve seen,” Rowley told reporters.

While anti-racism protesters marched carrying banners with slogans like “Refugees Welcome” and “No to Hate”, no large far-right gatherings were reported, only smaller groups.

Police said several dozen people had thrown bottles and tried to cause disruption in the southern English town of Croydon, while in Northern Ireland, bins were set on fire in Belfast and authorities said they dealt with a number of race-related hate crime incidents.

Rowley said police had continued to make raids and arrest violent offenders on Thursday morning, including many with criminal backgrounds. Over 400 people in total have been arrested across the country since the start of the riots.

“Any suggestion they’re patriots, or they’ve got a cause… is nonsense,” Rowley said. “They’re criminals, and frankly, most of them are going to be charged with violent disorder, and most of them are going to go to prison for a few years.”

Policing minister Diana Johnson said on Thursday she remained cautious about the situation.

“There are consequences for the criminality on our streets, and I think that swift justice that we’re seeing is also helping to make people think twice about getting involved,” Johnson told Sky News.