Sunak and Starmer clash over ambulance delays at PMQs

Sir Keir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of presiding over "lethal chaos" in the NHS as the two clashed over ambulance waiting times during PMQs.

The Labour leader said ambulances were supposed to respond to emergency calls in 18 minutes, but some people were waiting more than two and a half hours.

The PM said the NHS was dealing with the "unprecedented challenges" of Covid and a "very virulent" flu season.

He added that extra money from government would help reduce the waits.

The prime minister also attacked Sir Keir for opposing the government's bill which would enforce minimum service levels during strike action including for ambulance staff, firefighters and railway workers.

"It's absolutely right that people can rely on the emergency services when they need them," he said.

"That's why we are rapidly implementing measures to improve the delivery of ambulance times and, indeed, urgent and emergency care, but I'd say, if he cares about ensuring that patients get access to life-saving emergency care when they need it, why won't he support our minimum safety legislation?"

The Labour leader accused Mr Sunak of avoiding answering his questions and noted that if someone in Plymouth suffering from chest pains had phoned 999 at the start of Prime Minister's Questions at midday, the ambulance wouldn't arrive until 14:40 GMT.

He said the prime minister should "stop blaming others" and apologise for the "for the lethal chaos under his watch".

Data released by NHS England last week revealed a sharp deterioration in 999 response times in December, as well as record waits in accident and emergency departments.

The rhetorical battle to be seen as trustworthy custodians of the NHS was at the heart of this PMQs.

Sir Keir Starmer sought to crystallise the realities of a struggling NHS: the time it would take someone with a suspected heart attack to get an ambulance.

His examples were from across England; the prime minister pointed out he wasn't mentioning Wales, where Labour run the devolved government.

But, Rishi Sunak also - while making that political point - tried to suggest it wasn't primarily a political problem.

The challenges the health service face around the UK were driven by underlying factors such as flu and the consequences of the Covid pandemic.

It is undeniable that regardless of their political stewardship the NHS was always likely to have a difficult winter.

But, the scale of the problems asks awkward questions of the Conservatives given their longevity in office, and questions for Labour about how quickly things might change - or not - were they to be in government at Westminster after the next election.

Mr Sunak acknowledged that ambulance waiting times were bad but argued that the situation was worse in Wales where the NHS is run by the Labour-led government.

"This not about politics, this is about the fact that the NHS in Scotland, in Wales, in England is dealing with unprecedented challenges, recovering from Covid, dealing with a very virulent and early flu season, and everyone is doing their best to bring those wait times down," he said.

"Because of the extra funding we are putting in to relieve pressure in urgent and emergency care departments, because of the investment we are putting in in ambulance call handling, we will improve ambulance times as we are recovering from the pandemic and, indeed, the pressures of this winter."

The Labour leader also used Prime Minister's Questions to raise the case of Stephanie, a 26-year-old woman who died waiting for an ambulance.

"As a dad, I can't even fathom that pain, so on behalf of Stephanie and her family, will he stop the excuses, stop shifting the blame, stop the political games and simply tell us when will he sort out these delays and get back to the 18-minute wait?" Sir Keir said.

Mr Sunak said Stephanie's case was "a tragedy" adding: "People are working as hard as they can to make sure people get the care they need."