Wes Streeting accused Laura Kuenssberg of going for a “cynical line of questioning” in a slightly awkward clash on the BBC this morning.
Speaking on her show Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the presenter began to go through each of Streeting’s pre-election promises to reform the NHS.
She said: “Nobody expects you to transform the country in four months – you’re in the fourth month of government – but people can expect to know when you will keep these promises.”
Kuenssberg recalled Streeting’s pledges to introduce more dental appointments and double the number of scanners in hospitals, and asked him: “When are you going to do that?”
Streeting said the public will be able to see when the Budget comes out on October 30 that he has prioritised “capital and tech”, before trying to talk about introducing “reform”.
The Treasury’s Budget – to be revealed on October 30 – is meant to raise £40bn through spending cuts and tax rises, although that has concerns from some cabinet ministers about their departments.
So Kuenssberg replied: “But secretary of state, these were specific promises that you made – you sat in the chair and said these are all fully funded, these are all fully costed, but people will notice today that you’re not giving them a date by when they can hold you to that.”
He said he was not going to get into that just before the Budget, to which the presenter hit out: “You told us before the election all the money for this was all sorted out, it was all done.
“So I don’t think you can hide behind the Budget.
“And you’ve said on a different station this morning, already, your funding is sorted, you’ve said that.
“It’s tricky for you to hide behind the Budget.”
“I’m not hiding,” Streeting said, looking a little frustrated.
He continued: “With respect Laura, I would understand the cynical line of questioning if we were a few years into the Labour government, and we hadn’t delivered anything.
“We are a few months into the Labour government and we have ended the junior doctors’ strikes, better for patients and better for taxpayers, we are paying a huge amount in the cost of the strikes and the cost of patients delaying the cost of procedures.”
He said more GPs were on the frontline and the government has “hit the ground running” when it comes to public health announcements on smoking and junk food.