MPs debate NHS reforms

An analysis of division lists showed that no Liberal Democrat MPs voted in support of Labour's attempt to block the Bill's progress. Prominent critics of the Bill on the Liberal Democrat benches, including John Pugh, Liberal Democrat MP for Southport, abstained.

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Labour has failed in an 11th-hour attempt to block the Government's health reforms until an internal assessment of their risks is published.

The Commons voted 328 to 246, majority 82, against Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham's attempt to derail the Health and Social Care Bill.

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In angry exchanges in the Commons, the Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham warned the Coalition Government, it was making a "catastrophic political mistake" by pushing ahead with its NHS reforms.

But the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said Labour's stance was "political opportunism dressed up as principle" and he accused Mr Burnham of putting forward an "erroneous view" in a constituency leaflet that suggested the Government was pushing through £20 billion of unmandated cuts.

The cuts, said Mr Lansley, were efficency savings given the go-ahead under Labour.

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A future Labour Government would repeal the Health and Social Care bill at the first opportunity, the Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham told MPs.

He said it was a bill that nobody voted for, that no MP could look their constituent in the eye and defend and he attacked the Liberal Democrats for what he claimed was selling out by failing to stand up to the Prime Minister. Fiery talk, but a speech that will not halt the progress of the bill.

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The Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham told MPs they were being asked to back the gamble of the Government's NHS reforms without being afforded the courtesy of being told the odds.

He was opening a debate over whether the Government should publish the Risk Register, an internal document on the risks associated with the health reforms.

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The Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham has told the Commons that the government should "respect the law" and publish the NHS risk register. Mr Burnham said that the Labour Party would "restore their finest achievement" and "put the 'N' back in NHS".

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The Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham has told the Commons that the government's NHS reforms have been 'wrecklessly reorganised', without considering all of the facts, as part of an emergency debate on the bill. Mr Burnham said:

If the NHS starts to struggle, how will Members of Parliament respond when it starts to fail?"

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The Deputy Prime Minister has admitted that advice from civil servants detailing the government's NHS risk register is "frank and fearless". Nick Clegg told the Commons:

I have seen the risk register and as you know it is a very important tool to allow civil servants to give frank and fearless advice to ministers".

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As the Health and Social Care bill limps on to the Statute Book, the Health Minister Simon Burns has told us that pressing ahead with change was not an easy option but it was the "responsible option."

He rejected suggestions the reforms amounted to any large scale commercialisation of the NHS.

Asked if he had any regrets about the bill, he said: "No, we could not afford to standstill."

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