Tories make NHS spending pledge

Michael Howard today pledged to spend an extra ?34 billion a year on the NHS if he wins power.

The Tory promise to outspend Labour was coupled with new rights for patients and empowering matrons to tackle dirty wards.

Launching the party's Health Manifesto, the Opposition Leader even claimed he would be able to abolish waiting lists for operations by letting patients use private hospitals.

"We need to invest more in the NHS if we are to transform it," declared Mr Howard, who said spending per patient would rise from ?1,450 to around ?2,000 a head. The 16-page document is the party's most ambitious attempt yet to win public support on health.

Mr Howard argued that the 50 per cent increase in funding under Labour had failed to produce results, and contrasted the services available to people in his Kent constituency with European standards. "In France, people have routine access to a quality of healthcare that we hardly think possible in Britain."

The key pledges include:

? Creating matrons with the responsibility to clean hospitals and defeat the MRSA superbug that kills 5,000 patients a year.

? Abolishing waiting lists by giving patients a choice of any hospital - NHS or private - if the independent sector can keep to NHS costs.

? Abolishing Strategic Health authorities, releasing ?1.25 billion for front line spending.

? Increasing training places at medical schools and the Royal Colleges

The emphasis on beating the MRSA bug is close to Mr Howard's heart because his mother-in-law was a victim of the disease. He said: "More people are dying each year from infections they pick up in dirty hospitals than who die on our roads."

Meanwhile Tony Blair's fears that voter disillusionment could slash his Parliamentary majority were underlined today with a new poll predicting the lowest general election turnout since 1918. The NOP/ Independent poll shows that the number of people saying they are certain to vote is only 55 per cent, well below the 59 per cent of 2001 election. In 1918 the figure was 57 per cent.

With the Tories on 30 per cent, Labour on 42 and Liberal Democrats on 18 per cent, a reasonable turnout would translate into a Government Commons majority of 170.