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The health secretary has said NHS waiting lists need to be “millions lower” by the next general election in 2029.

Wes Streeting told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips he is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure waiting lists are brought down, including using the private sector.

He said the “NHS waiting list will need to be millions lower by the end of this parliament”.

Mr Streeting said he wants to end the “two-tier system” where those who can afford it go private “and those who can’t are being left behind”.

However, he said where there is spare capacity in the private sector the NHS should use that to get waiting lists down.

“Rebuilding that [the NHS] takes time,” he said.

“So in the meantime, I’m looking to pull every single lever I can to make sure that people get treated as fast as possible and as safely as possible.

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“And you can get those waiting lists down, get people back to health, back to work, or back to enjoying their lives in retirement.”

Mr Streeting said his centre-left principles mean he cannot leave “working class people waiting longer even where there is spare capacity in the private sector that we could use via the NHS to get those people treated faster”.

Questioned on whether GPs will get the 11% pay rise they are asking for, after Labour gave other public sector workers their requested increases, Mr Streeting would not confirm they will.

Instead, he said he has been in negotiations with the British Medical Association (BMA) GP committee and met them “many times” since becoming health secretary.

However, he said said he did want to “set expectations in the wrong places” as he cited cutting the winter fuel allowance for pensioners not claiming pension credit.

“There are difficult balances to strike in the public finances,” he said.

An investigation into the state of the NHS, ordered by the government in July, has been undertaken by Lord Darzi, an eminent surgeon and former Labour health minister, and will be published on Thursday.

Sir Keir Starmer said the review shows the NHS is “broken” and is expected to reveal that “too many” people are being let down by the NHS.

Shadow health secretary Victoria Atkins said she was concerned by Lord Darzi’s links to the Labour party as she said the NHS situation in Wales, which has been under Labour control for more than 100 years, is “lamentable”.

“This report, I fear, is cover for the Labour Party to raise our taxes in the budget in October and they are laying the groundwork for this,” she said.

“They weren’t straight with us about wind fuel payments. They’re not being straight with us about taxes. And we need to have a grown up conversation about the NHS, but this is not the way to go about it.”

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North Yorkshire: Man’s body recovered from area of flooding in Beal

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North Yorkshire: Man's body recovered from area of flooding in Beal

A man’s body has been recovered from an area of flooding in North Yorkshire, police have said, as major incidents have been declared in two counties.

The body was found near Intake Lane in Beal, close to Eggborough and Knottingley.

Police believe the man may have entered the water in the last 24 to 48 hours.

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North Yorkshire Police said: “Despite extensive enquiries, including with our colleagues in Humberside and West Yorkshire Police, we have been unable to identify him.

“He was found without any identification or personal belongings.”

The man was also described as white, in his early 50s to 60s, with light brown short hair and stubble.

He was wearing brown walking boots, blue denim jeans, a multicoloured knitted jumper and possibly a dark green waterproof coat, police added.

It comes after Leicestershire and Lincolnshire both declared a major incident in response to the extreme weather hitting the UK and Ireland.

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Leicestershire Fire and Rescue was the first emergency service in England to declare an incident and said it had received more than 200 calls since Monday morning over widespread flooding.

Crews had found cars stuck in floodwater and evacuated residents from flooded homes and rising waters, with some 17 people rescued as of 1.45pm.

The Lincolnshire Resilience Forum declared a major incident shortly after, and noted that emergency services had rescued children who were stranded at a school in Edenham.

Meanwhile, the Met Office has three yellow weather warnings – each for snow and ice – in effect throughout Monday evening and Tuesday morning.

Met Office yellow weather warnings for snow and ice on Monday 6 and Tuesday 7 of January. Pic: Met Office
Image:
Pic: Met Office

A warning covering the west and north coast of Scotland – reaching into Inverness and Aberdeen – will last until midday, while an alert in effect for all of Northern Ireland will last until 11am.

The Met Office has also issued a warning covering Wales and parts of northwest England on Monday evening, moving into southwest England, the Midlands and parts of southern England in the early hours of Tuesday.

On Wednesday, a yellow weather warning for snow is in effect across the south of England – stretching from just above Truro in Cornwall to Canterbury in Kent – from 9am to midnight.

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Man charged following reports of threats towards Jess Phillips, Sky News understands

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Man charged following reports of threats towards Jess Phillips, Sky News understands

A man has been charged following reports of threats towards Labour safeguarding minister Jess Phillips, Sky News understands.

Jack Bennett, 39, has been charged with three counts of malicious communications, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

The messages were sent between April 2024 and January 2025 involving three victims, including the Birmingham Yardley MP.

It is understood the accused, from Seaton, east Devon, was charged over the weekend.

He has been bailed to appear before Exeter Magistrates’ Court on 18 February 2025.

Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer spoke about a “line being crossed” regarding comments towards Ms Phillips and said that she had been receiving threats.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

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HMP Wandsworth prison officer filmed having sex with inmate sentenced to 15 months

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HMP Wandsworth prison officer filmed having sex with inmate sentenced to 15 months

A prison officer who was filmed having sex with an inmate has been sentenced to 15 months in jail.

Linda De Sousa Abreu, 31, was on duty at HMP Wandsworth in London when she entered the prisoner’s cell and had sex with him on 27 June.

The encounter was filmed by another inmate and lasted for almost five minutes.

She was identified by HMP Wandsworth staff and arrested by the Metropolitan Police at Heathrow Airport after the footage went viral on social media.

The prison officer was planning to fly to Madrid and telephoned the prison as she fled to the airport to say that she was not returning to work.

De Sousa Abreu then pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office on 29 July last year.

The charge said the 31-year-old “wilfully and without reasonable excuse or justification misconducted yourself in a way which amounted to an abuse of the public’s trust in the office holder by engaging in a sexual act with a prisoner in a prison cell”.

Tetteh Turkson, of the Crown Prosecution Service, added last year that the incident was “a shocking breach of the public’s trust,” and that De Sousa Abreu “was clearly an enthusiastic participant who wrongly thought she would avoid responsibility”.

“The CPS recognises there is no excuse for any prison officer who conducts themselves in such a manner, and we will never hesitate to prosecute those who abuse their position of power,” she added.

“After working closely with the Metropolitan Police to build the strongest possible case, De Sousa had no option but accept she was guilty. She will now rightly face the consequences of her actions.”

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

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