Hertford and Stortford Labour candidate Josh Dean welcomes party’s pledge to rebuild Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow
Labour’s candidate to be Bishop’s Stortford’s next MP has welcomed his party’s commitment to building a new Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) – and pledged he will press for completion as soon as possible.
The project was part of the Conservatives’ 2019 General Election manifesto to build 40 new hospitals across the country by 2030.
Julie Marson, the Tory elected to the Hertford and Stortford seat at that poll, has previously claimed to constituents that the new health campus off the M11 near Sheering would be ready by 2028.
However, in May, Michael Meredith, director of strategy and estates with the PAH NHS Trust, told the Indie he believed that at the current rate of progress the new hospital would be operational four years later – in 2032.
Josh Dean, Labour’s candidate for Hertford and Stortford in the July 4 General Election, said: “Residents in our community have been desperately let down by a Conservative Government that has failed in its promise to rebuild Princess Alexandra Hospital before this election. Given another five years, they will fail again.
“Patients and staff have been left with a hospital that’s crumbling around them for too long – this rebuild is long overdue. If I’m privileged enough to be elected as MP, I will work closely with the neighbouring MPs and the next Labour Government to make sure this work is completed as soon as possible.
“I’m pleased that Labour has committed to rebuilding Princess Alexandra to ensure our NHS is fit for the future. Labour founded the NHS and only Labour can deliver the change that it now needs.”
He was speaking after Wes Streeting, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary and the man likely to be in charge of the NHS after July 4, confirmed the party was committed to delivering a new PAH.
Mr Streeting said: “Rishi Sunak has promised voters he’ll build 40 new hospitals by 2030, despite his Government planning to delay it for another five years. He is either lying to the public or doesn’t have the first clue what’s going on.
“Rishi Sunak failed to keep his promises to cut waiting lists or build a single new hospital. Given another five years in charge, he’ll fail again and waiting lists will hit 10 million.
“Only Labour has a plan to deliver the change our NHS needs. We are committed to delivering the New Hospitals Programme, including Princess Alexandra Hospital. And we will cut NHS waiting times with 40,000 extra appointments a week at evenings and weekends, paid for by clamping down on tax dodgers and non-doms. We need doctors, not dodgers; nurses not non-doms.”
Nominations for General Election candidates close on Friday (June 7). So far, the contenders for the Hertford and Stortford seat are (in alphabetical order of surname): John Burmicz – Reform UK; Helen Campbell – Liberal Democrats; Nicholas Cox – Green Party; Josh Dean – Labour; Julie Marson – Conservative.