Labour said the plans would be funded by the abolition of non-dom status. Pledges to increase the number of health visitors trained from 770 to 1,340 a year already make up part of its plans to expand the NHS workforce.
Sir Keir said his party was focusing on child health because children were “probably the biggest casualty of sticking plaster politics in the last 14 years”.
“Frankly, if this was a parent that treated children this badly, as badly as the UK Government, they’d probably be charged with neglect,” he said.
Commenting on Labour’s plans for toothbrushing, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “While it’s good to see that supervising toothbrushing won’t be a part of the school day itself, or an expectation of teachers, we remain somewhat sceptical about how this will work in practice.
“Questions remain about access to the facilities required to make this proposal work and the staffing implications for breakfast clubs.”
‘Unfunded promises’
Andrea Leadsom, the Public Health Minister, said: “Given Sir Keir Starmer’s ‘blueprint’ for the country is a record of failure, he should focus on fixing his own house before criticising others.
“In Wales, Labour is overseeing the longest hospital waits in Great Britain, are the only administration to have cut the NHS budget since 2010, have underfunded the NHS and consistently fail to meet targets.
“Labour’s unfunded promises on healthcare in England would cost taxpayers billions, in addition to the £28 billion a year by 2030 spending promise they have already committed to and would inevitably hike up taxes to fund.
“This is the same old Labour of more spending and more taxes. The Conservative Government is taking the long-term decisions to protect the health of future generations – including creating a new smokefree generation, protecting all our children from harmful vaping and creating family hubs across England to support every family to give their baby the best start for life.”
A government spokesman said: “We’ve taken significant action to improve children’s health both now and in the long term.
“This includes dramatically reducing sugar in children’s foods, investing over £600 million to improve the quality of sport for children, and encouraging healthy diets for families from lower income households through schemes like Healthy Start.
“We’re also investing an additional £2.3 billion a year into mental health services, the number of children seen by NHS dentists rose by 14 per cent last year, and we’re taking steps to reduce youth vaping and introducing the first ever smokefree generation.
“Cutting waiting lists is one of the Government’s top five priorities. Despite ongoing pressure on the NHS, we have cut the total waiting list and the number of individual patients waiting for treatment compared to the previous month.”
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
