UK News 03-12-2001 No More Cash For NHS who: Gordon Brown what: Rules out income tax hike to pay for NHS while Blair backtracks where: LONDON when: Yesterday snippet: "Tony Blair was last night in headlong retreat over his vow to bring health spending up to the European Union average within three years," reports The Sun`s Trevor Kavanagh. "The PM backed off from the promise amid fears it could spell tax hikes of £15 BILLION a year." "Four days after signalling the Government was ready to change tax policy and pour billions into the NHS, Mr Blair insisted he was speaking `in broad terms`," says The Mirror. Mr Blair`s comments were made in an interview with The Independent on Sunday in which he said: "I`m not deciding the spending levels now, but I am saying in broad terms that we have an under investment and under capacity and we`ve got to match other European countries." Meanwhile, chancellor Gordon Brown was interviewed by Sir David Frost on Sunday morning and categorically ruled out the possibility of raising income tax to improve the health service. "The apparent backtracking on health spending prompted both Tories and Liberal Democrats to say that the Government`s policy towards the NHS had descended into chaos," says The Times. "Liam Fox, the Shadow Health Secretary, said that unless the Prime Minister was prepared to honour his commitment, he was guilty of misleading MPs." And according to The Telegraph, Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith yesterday described the management of the NHS as "soviet-style". [... more]

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