Oral Answers to Questions

Neil Hudson Excerpts

Wednesday 11th September 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for championing his constituency, including the work at Rosyth dockyard. The strategic defence review will ensure that defence is central both to security and to economic growth and prosperity. The review will consult widely, including across the devolved nations, and I know that the reviewers recognise the strategic importance of constituencies like his. I will ensure that he gets the chance to meet the relevant Minister to discuss the particular issues in his constituency.

[Dr Neil Hudson (Epping Forest) (Con)]

Q6. The previous Conservative Government committed themselves to rebuilding Whipps Cross hospital and Princess Alexandra hospital in Harlow, and to the establishment of a new community—[Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am determined to hear this question. I do not expect Members on the Front Bench to be shouting me down, and it will not happen.

[Dr Hudson]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The previous Conservative Government—[Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Do you want to join in again?

[Dr Hudson]

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

The previous Conservative Government committed themselves to rebuilding Whipps Cross hospital and Princess Alexandra hospital in Harlow, and to the establishment of a new community diagnostic centre at St Margaret’s hospital in Epping. Will the new Labour Government honour those commitments in full and make progress with those projects, which are vital to improving the health services needed by my constituents? If it helps the Prime Minister at all with his answer, I can tell him that those services will also help some of the constituents of his Health Secretary, just next door in Ilford North.

[The Prime Minister]

The hon. Gentleman is right to champion the hospitals in his constituency. The problem with what the last Government promised was this: they promised 40 new hospitals, but there were not 40, they were not new, and many of them were not hospitals. We need to review what we can do and put it on a sustainable, deliverable basis, but we will do that, and the hon. Gentleman is right to champion those in his constituency.