A number of people have contacted me offering to pay more tax to fund the NHS.
Our NHS is a vital public service, providing healthcare who needs it, free at the point of use, regardless of background or income. It is clear that more funding is needed to keep pace with growing pressures on the NHS, which is why I welcome that NHS funding will grow on average by 3.4 per cent in real terms through to 2023/24. This is significantly more than proposed by the Labour Party at the last election, and will provide NHS England with over £20 billion more, in real terms, for its annual budget.
The Chancellor was clear in the recent Autumn Budget that this will not involve increasing people's tax bills. With the Office for Budget Responsibility significantly revising up growth figures and expected tax receipts over the coming years, the Chancellor has confirmed tax rises to pay for the increased NHS budget will not be necessary.
I warmly welcome the careful management of the economy since 2010, and the fact that we are able to deliver record levels of investment into the NHS at the same time as taking more people out of tax.