Dec 3rd, 2013
Jeremy Hunt is trying to change the law
By Andrew Tobert
38 Degrees members are passionate about defending the NHS. When Jeremy Hunt tried to close the A&E at Lewisham hospital, thousands of us came together, chipped in and took him to court. We won, he appealed, then we won again.
But having been told twice that he acted illegally, he’s trying to change the law! [2] He wants to bring in a “hospital closure clause” to give him new legal powers to shut A&Es like Lewisham. If he gets this through, none of our hospitals will be safe from his meddling or closure.
The hospital closure clause will soon be voted on by MPs. We need to persuade enough of them to vote against it. A huge petition will show MPs that the public don’t want them to give Jeremy Hunt new powers to shut hospitals.
38 Degrees member Louise Irvine, who is chair of the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign, started a petition on the 38 Degrees website. Please can you sign it today, before MPs vote?
It’s a pretty cynical way to respond to our campaign, isn’t it? After losing in court, Jeremy Hunt’s trying to sneak a change into a law to allow him “to dismantle hospital services arbitrarily.” Even the very best hospitals wouldn’t be safe. This sinister clause is hidden within a much bigger piece of law – presumably he’s hoping that it will go through unnoticed.
A big petition can help stop this happening. When the bill is next debated, we can prove that thousands of us are coming together against these plans. Every signature helps sound the alarm. Every signature is a blow to Jeremy Hunt’s reputation, an extra voice against him getting new powers to shut hospitals.
Jeremy Hunt saw the public outcry the last time the government changed the law to damage the NHS. He saw his predecessor, Andrew Lansley, lose his job. The last thing Jeremy Hunt will want to see is 38 Degrees members coming together again to stand up for NHS.
So let’s get signing this petition now and together, once again, we can stop Jeremy Hunt!
(Louise is running this petition on Campaigns By You, the part of 38 Degrees that allows members to campaign on the issues that matter to them. If you’d like to set up your own campaign, please click here and get started .)
