Boris Johnson set to make £34bn NHS promise law in Queen's Speech

Boris Johnson is expected use his Queen's Speech on Thursday to enshrine his £34bn NHS pledge into law
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Ewan Somerville15 December 2019
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Boris Johnson is to enshrine his pledge to raise NHS spending by almost £34bn by 2023-24 into law next week.

The prime minister is expected to use the Queen’s Speech on Thursday to bring about commitments made on the campaign trail before his general election landslide.

The bill to increase funding by £33.9bn year-on-year will be the first time any government has made a legally-binding spending commitment over several years, the Conservatives said.

Mr Johnson’s closest adviser Dominic Cummings is also reportedly planning a radical overhaul of the civil service to guarantee it delivers on manifesto promises.

Boris Johnson pledged to rebuild trust among ex-Labour voters in Durham after the 'red wall' fell
PA

According to The Sunday Times whole departments could be axed and civil servants replaced by outside experts, while The Sunday Telegraph reports that Mr Cummings will review how officials are hired.

The Queen's Speech will be similar to October's version after Parliament was dissolved but is set to feature several further changes, including a crackdown on serious criminals. Mr Johnson vowed to end early release for terrorists in the wake of the London Bridge attack.

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There are also expected to be measures to ensure minimum services operate during transport strikes, new protections for renters and a ban on local authorities boycotting products from other countries, like Israel.

Mr Johnson used a highly symbolic visit on Saturday to Tony Blair's old Sedgefield constituency to promise to repay the trust of traditional Labour voters who turned for the first time to the Conservatives in the election.

The County Durham seat was part of a previously solid "red wall" of safe Labour seats across the North, the Midlands and north Wales which turned blue on Thursday night, sealing a crushing Tory Commons majority of 80.

In his speech on Saturday, Mr Johnson echoed the word of Mr Blair when he became prime minister, saying: "When we get down to Westminster and we begin our work, remember we are not the masters, we are the servants now.

"Our job is to serve the people of this country, and to deliver on our priorities. And our priorities and their priorities are the same."

Additional reporting by PA Media.

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