Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Clive Jones has called for an emergency Health and Care Budget

Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Clive Jones has called for an emergency Health and Care Budget, to support local health services on the brink.

Locally, Wokingham’s Liberal Democrats enjoyed a historic victory in the general election, winning an impressive 8,345 majority and taking the seat which had previously only belonged to the Conservatives since its creation.

Such victories are key not just for Wokingham but also for the NHS, which has been brought to its knees by the past 14 years of Conservative mismanagement. The Liberal Democrats put fixing the NHS and care at the heart of their general election campaign, including calls for more GPs, NHS dentists and staffed hospital beds. Now, the party is calling for an Emergency Health and Care Budget within the next four weeks, to provide urgent investment for local NHS and social care services.

The Conservative chaos that led to the crippling of the NHS is still present in Rishi Sunak’s party, and as such the Liberal Democrats will step up and provide the constructive opposition to the new Labour government that the country needs. Our record number of local champions, including new Wokingham MP Clive Jones, have already hit the ground running and are demanding fresh action on the NHS, the junior doctors strike, our tarnished and neglected waterways, and more.

Commenting, Wokingham’s new MP Clive Jones said:
“I am incredibly proud of the positive campaign that the Liberal Democrats have run in Wokingham, together delivering the change that the area has been desperate for for some time.

“Whether you voted for me or not, I will work tirelessly for you, and to give Wokingham the fair deal that we all deserve. That is why I am calling for an emergency Health and Care Budget to help fix our NHS brought to its knees by years of Conservative party neglect. 

“We have listened to the concerns that countless people have put to us on the doorstep, from the crisis facing our local health services to the filthy sewage being pumped into our waterways, to spiralling mortgages and rents, and I promise to be your local champion and take these issues right to the heart of Parliament.

“I'm writing to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, today to ask questions about the funding of the new hospital program, promised but not delivered by the Conservatives. We need to know if the Labour government will be funding the program properly and whether the new Royal Berkshire Hospital will be prioritised.”