Health secretary Wes Streeting visited Reading on Wednesday 8 April and slammed delays to the new Royal Berkshire Hospital, accusing the previous Conservative government of misleading people. He held a rally in Prospect Park with Labour councillors, candidates and activists ahead of the local elections.
The new hospital planned for Thames Valley Park in Earley has been pushed back until at least 2037, well beyond the end of this parliament. The Conservatives had promised 40 new hospitals by 2030 in their 2019 manifesto.
Streeting said Labour found the original timetable was "a work of fiction" and that money wasn't in place. The government has since provided £10 million to buy the site and £4.3 million for safety improvements and new facilities at the current Royal Berks while the project takes longer.
He praised staff at the Royal Berks and said the funding should give people confidence the new hospital will happen.
The visit came as junior doctors at the Royal Berkshire Hospital carried out a six-day strike, ending on Monday 13 April.
Streeting described the strike as unnecessary and said the £300 million cost "could have gone into doctors' pockets and could have gone into the NHS". He said the government will do its best to keep services running and cut waiting lists despite the action.
After the rally, Labour activists went door-knocking in Norcot and Southcote. Streeting is the Labour MP for Ilford North.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
