Norman Lamb said the government had been right to “pause” its NHS reform plans The government’s decision to reconsider its plans for the NHS “should not be regarded as a concession” to the Liberal Democrats by the Conservatives, Nick Clegg’s chief adviser has said.
Norman Lamb insisted the Lib Dems and Tories had to work “in partnership”.
The coalition has promised a “pause” in getting its plans for the English NHS through Parliament, after criticism from GPs, nurses and leading Lib Dems.
But Labour has urged ministers to throw out the “bad” legislation.
The Health and Social Care Bill, already backed by the House of Commons but still going through Parliament, would give GPs control of much of the NHS budget, remove some tiers of management and open the service up to more competition.
However, following rejection by the Lib Dem spring conference and the Royal College of Nursing ministers agreed to “pause” and “listen” to concerns before proceeding further.
Deputy Prime Minister Mr Clegg has vowed be more assertive in his relationship with the Conservatives amid Lib Dem fears they are being unfairly blamed by voters for unpopular coalition decisions.
“This should not be regarded as a concession to the Liberal Democrats”
Norman Lamb
The Conservatives increased their share of the vote in Thursday’s local elections – rare for a party in government at a “mid term” election.
But the Lib Dems received a drubbing, losing about 700 councillors in England and 12 of their 17 MSPs at Holyrood, where the SNP scored an historic victory.
Mr Clegg told the BBC on Sunday that Lib Dem ministers were committed to the plans set out in the coalition agreement, but they needed to work harder to get their voice heard by the public.
He added that getting the NHS reforms right was “now my number one priority” and called for guarantees there would not be “back-door privatisation”.
He also vowed to be a “moderating” influence on the Conservatives on issues such as the NHS – a marked change in tone from the early days of the coalition government.
Lib Dem deputy leader Simon Hughes went further, saying there should be “no privatisation at all” of the NHS.
But Mr Lamb told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The government should be congratulated for pausing and listening. There’s clearly been a gathering storm against this legislation.”
He added: “This should not be regarded as a concession to the Liberal Democrats. There has to be agreement between the two parties to get the legislation through Parliament… We need to do this in partnership.”
Former Conservative cabinet minister John Redwood told Today said the bill had “more Lib Dem in it than anything else”.
He said the party’s MPs had voted for the plans – and that the principle of introducing more competition into the NHS had been supported and promoted by the Lib Dem leadership.
Labour is holding a debate on the NHS in the House of Commons later.
Shadow health secretary John Healey said he was glad the Lib Dems were “starting to make the arguments Labour has been making since the early autumn”.
He said: “This is a bad bill and if Nick Clegg is serious he must spell out exactly what his bottom line is. But in truth this is David Cameron’s call, not Nick Clegg’s.”
Last month, Mr Lamb threatened to quit his coalition role unless changes were made to the NHS plans, citing the “financial risk of doing it too quickly”, which, he argued, could damage patient care.
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