Theresa May’s £20 billion boost for the NHS has already been written off by the public as unlikely to make things better, an exclusive poll for the Standard reveals today.
Only 14 per cent think the money will improve the health service — and a majority expect the NHS to get worse over the next few years.
The findings come in research by Ipsos MORI launched after the Prime Minister confirmed the Government will set aside an extra £20.5 billion a year for the service by 2023.
It raises a question over whether there will be political consequences for the Tories from Mrs May’s largesse, which experts say is bound to mean tax hikes or higher borrowing to pay for it.
The Prime Minister will host a reception for NHS leaders tomorrow in Downing Street to mark the 70th anniversary of its founding.
But Ipsos MORI found that her promise of more cash has done nothing to change views about which party has the best policies on healthcare.
Forty per cent said Labour were best, which is the same level as a year ago. Only 22 per cent named the Tories, down from 25 per cent in April 2017.
Half the public think the money promised will only be enough to maintain the NHS as it is, not to improve it. A third said it would fail to prevent health services declining in quality.
Even among Conservative supporters, only a quarter think the sum will be enough to bring about better services.
When asked how NHS improvements should be paid for, a majority said they were willing to pay higher taxes. Some 55 per cent would approve moves to “increase the taxes that I pay”. The same proportion backed extra charges for people on high incomes.
Read More
Only 21 per cent backed higher borrowing to pay for the NHS — and just 20 per cent would support making more cuts in other public services.
In a speech in Wales to mark the anniversary, Jeremy Corbyn said he would plough a bigger share of national income into the NHS, but declined to say how much or how it would be paid for.
Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos MORI, said the long-term trends showed people’s “concern is growing” about the NHS. “Brits want the best for their NHS and often blame underfunding for its problems,” he added. “Given the challenges the NHS faces, even the extra funding announced by the Government isn’t enough to make them optimistic that it will improve.”
Ipsos MORI interviewed 1,026 adults across Great Britain by phone, June 22 to 27. Data are weighted. Details at ipsos.com/ipsos-MORI.
