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Britain's May slaps down foreign minister over health funds

By Elizabeth Piper and William James

 

Britian's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson arrives at the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Security and Stability on the Korean Peninsula in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, January 16, 2018. REUTERS/Ben Nelms/Files

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May slapped down her foreign minister on Tuesday after he demanded more funding for Britain's public health service, telling him any discussion of money saved from Brexit should be kept private.

 

Boris Johnson, whose promises that Britain's departure from the European Union would boost funds for the National Health Service helped persuade many voters to back Brexit, raised his demands at a regular meeting of her top ministers after publicly calling for an extra 100 million pounds ($140 million) a week.

 

But the response was swift. May, trying to reassert her authority, said any money saved from Brexit would be spent on her priorities, including health, and that ministers should not air discussions outside her cabinet meetings.

 

"The prime minister and a large number of cabinet ministers made the point that cabinet discussions should take place in private," her spokesman told reporters, describing the hour-long discussion on the NHS as "constructive".

 

"As regards the future, and how the return of any EU contribution would be spent, the prime minister reminded cabinet that the government has consistently said that we will spend money on our priorities such as housing, schools and the NHS."

 

May is under pressure over the state of the health service from the opposition Labour Party, which says healthcare is being put "recklessly" at risk by ministers unable to tackle bed shortages and thousands of cancelled operations.

 

Under fire from some lawmakers in her own party for lacking direction on some of the most pressing concerns in Britain, May is also trying to keep the warring factions of her cabinet of top ministers united as she negotiates Brexit.

 

But divisions over the so-called Brexit dividend - the funds that will be freed up when Britain stops paying into EU coffers - are deepening, with the ministers for health, education and defence and others bidding for more funds for their departments.

 

"DULL DULL DULL"

 

Shortly after Johnson made his demand, finance minister Philip Hammond fought back by saying he had already increased payments to the NHS. May has repeatedly said that funding is at record levels.

 

"Mr Johnson is the foreign secretary," Hammond told reporters in Brussels.

 

"I gave the health secretary an extra 6 billion pounds at the recent budget and we'll look at departmental allocations again at the spending review when that takes place."

 

The row is yet another headache for May, whose weakness since losing her party's majority at an election last June was underlined by a botched reshuffle of her top team of ministers earlier this month.

 

With the Conservatives increasingly concerned that Labour is setting the political agenda in Britain by focusing on health, housing and education, many members of the ruling party say it needs to show more clearly what they hold to be the benefits of Brexit.

 

Johnson and other Brexit supporters said during the campaign for the 2016 referendum on leaving the European Union that Britain pays 350 million pounds a week to the bloc and promised to spend the money on the NHS instead if Britain voted to leave.

 

The figure was challenged by critics who said it did not rerlect Britain's rebate and payments made into Britain by the EU.

 

Mindful of that promise, some Conservatives are calling for the government to increase funding.

 

"We have to deliver Brexit and deliver for the NHS," Andrew Bridgen, a pro-Brexit lawmaker, told Reuters.

 

Others went further, saying May had to do a lot more to win over younger voters and challenge Labour's leftist leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has a loyal following in many cities.

 

"They must have really sound reasons to vote Conservative. We really need to get on with this #wherestheboldandbrave sofaritsdulldulldull," Conservative lawmaker Nicholas Soames said on Twitter.

 

(additional reporting by Philip Blekinstop in Brussels and Guy Faulconbridge, editing by Ralph Boulton)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-01-24

[Thian]

Nice hairdo mate, was it storming in the UK?

[thaibeachlovers]

Boris is right, in this case. If Brexit was voted for because the savings would be put into the NHS, May has no right to appropriate it for her "priorities".

Once more May is outed, made to look weak, and is becoming less "leaderly" by the day.

The only question is who can take over for her? The Tories are in a bad way. If they don't shed this woman and install a decent leader, Labour will be the next ruling party, IMO.

[anon789561]

3 hours ago, Thian said:

Nice hairdo mate, was it storming in the UK?

555 proper public school look. you're not at school now bozo, comb your bloody hair mate

[RuamRudy]

Having had his bulllying, lying, philandering ways exposed to the public, Johnson is, sensing blood in the water, setting his stall out in an attempt to reclaim his mantle of lovable, affable man of the people.

 

Hopefully, though, the genie cannot be put back in the bottle, and the public will not forget what a truly contemptible man he actually is.

[Srikcir]

5 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

May has no right to appropriate it for her "priorities"

In a parliamentary system, isn't it the PM who submits the budget for approval?

In fact doesn't the cabinet play only a small role in overall British budgetary matters?

http://www.law.harvard.edu/faculty/hjackson/BritishBudget_32.pdf

The Cabinet Office - "We support the Prime Minister and ensure the effective running of government." https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/cabinet-office/about

 

 

[dunroaming]

7 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Boris is right, in this case. If Brexit was voted for because the savings would be put into the NHS, May has no right to appropriate it for her "priorities".

Once more May is outed, made to look weak, and is becoming less "leaderly" by the day.

The only question is who can take over for her? The Tories are in a bad way. If they don't shed this woman and install a decent leader, Labour will be the next ruling party, IMO.

May is weak.  She should have sacked Johnson long ago.  He is an embarrassment.  He still has the images of him standing next to the bus with the NHS pledge on the side and he is desperate to salvage some credibility by getting May to commit more money.

 

I never thought I would say it but I think the way Brexit is going, it is possible Labour could win (in the form of a coalition)  in the next election.  May is screwing brexit up for the leavers and remainers alike.

[thaibeachlovers]

7 minutes ago, dunroaming said:

May is weak.  She should have sacked Johnson long ago.  He is an embarrassment.  He still has the images of him standing next to the bus with the NHS pledge on the side and he is desperate to salvage some credibility by getting May to commit more money.

 

I never thought I would say it but I think the way Brexit is going, it is possible Labour could win (in the form of a coalition)  in the next election.  May is screwing brexit up for the leavers and remainers alike.

She is an embarrassment.

[dunroaming]

11 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

She is an embarrassment.

They are all an embarrassment.  I have never witnessed such a bunch of inadequate fools screwing up our country.

[nausea]

Boris doing his thing, he's a one act show; Bismarck he ain't.