Jeremy Corbyn tells Theresa May 'wow' at her big claim about the NHS

The Prime Minister made a very bullish claim at the pair's weekly clash in the House of Commons

 Jeremy Corbyn faced a fierce clash with Theresa May today as she claimed it was Labour - not the Tories - that did top-down reorganisation of the NHS.

The Labour leader said "wow" after the Prime Minister made her bullish claim at the pair's weekly clash in the House of Commons.

In six angry questions about the NHS at Prime Minister's Questions, he demanded a guarantee that no A&E units would be downgraded or closed.

She replied without one, saying instead: "We believe that at local level people should be able to make decisions about the NHS. It shouldn’t be a top down approach which is typical of the Labour party ."

Mr Corbyn replied: "Wow! Wow, Mr Speaker, well top-down is what we got.

Mr Corbyn replied: "Wow! Wow, Mr Speaker, because top-down is what we got"

“I talked about parity of esteem. All this government’s produced is parity of failure.”

He spoke after two Health Secretaries - Jeremy Hunt and Andrew Lansley before him - enraged doctors with top-down changes to the NHS.

The exchange came at the end of a clash over the funding crisis for mental health beds.
Yesterday NHS England boss Simon Stevens warned the NHS was facing "a bigger hill to climb" because it did not have enough money for future years.

Mr Corbyn said: "NHS trusts are in a financial crisis.

Mrs May said fewer mental health patients were ending up in police cells

"According to NHS providers, it seems to be the worst financial crisis in NHS history - 80% of acute hospitals are now in deficit.

"There was a time in 2010 when the NHS was in surplus - what's happened?"

Mrs May said the NHS is asked to develop a five-year plan and say what extra funding is needed, adding: "[Simon Stevens] said it was £8 billion needed - we're giving £10 billion of extra funding to the NHS."

Mr Corbyn replied: "In six years the NHS has gone from surplus to the worst crisis in its history.
 
"£3 billion was wasted on a top-down reorganisation that nobody wanted and yesterday, at the select committee, Simon Stevens made it very clear he doesn't believe that NHS England has enough money to get through the crisis it's facing."

And she said councils were being allowed to raise council tax to pay for social care

He also urged Mrs May: "Will you address the reckless and counter-productive adult social care cuts that have been made by your predecessor?"

Mrs May brushed aside accusations of care cuts by saying under the Tories, councils could raise an extra 2% council tax for social care.

Mr Corbyn replied: “Local government funding has been cut. The issue is the funding crisis in the NHS and in local government.”

The pair clashed over mental health trusts, 40% of which Mr Corbyn said had lost funding according to Kings Fund research.

Mrs May insisted there was more funding to come and the number of patients ending up in police cells was coming down.

But Mr Corbyn said this was not enough - and the crisis is in funding everywhere

But Mr Corbyn thundered: "The reality is that nobody with a mental health condition should ever be taken to a police cell."

Speaking afterwards, Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: "It is truly remarkable that the Prime Minister can stand in front on the House of Commons and say that the Tory government has given the NHS what it asked for.

"It was made crystal clear by Simon Stevens just yesterday that the NHS is not getting the funds it asked for over the next three years."

Source: Mirror