'I’m under no illusion’: Daventry MP speaks out about new frontbench brief as shadow Health Secretary
A Northamptonshire MP has acknowledged the significant challenges facing him in his new front bench role for the opposition party.
Stuart Andrew, who has been the MP for Daventry since last July, was appointed as the new shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch on Tuesday July 22.
Speaking to this newspaper, the Conservative MP said he is facing “enormous tasks” but he is prepared to meet them head-on.
“There are enormous tasks to take up under this brief, not least the impending strike on Saturday July 26,” said Mr Andrew. “I’m under no illusion. People want more services close to where they live, and I’ll be keen to advocate that.”
The strike action by resident doctors, whose demands include pay restoration in line with inflation, is set to be the first and most significant of these tasks - but by no means the only one.
Mr Andrew, until 2024 the MP for Pudsey in West Yorkshire, previously held the Culture, Media and Sport brief for the opposition, and has also served in various junior ministries. His predecessor, Edward Argar, has resigned due to health reasons.
Citing his experience in both government and non-political roles, including as the Head of Fundraising for the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) hospices, he told this newspaper that his work will be driven by the views and perspectives of frontline healthcare staff, in Northamptonshire and across the country.
He said: “Hearing from people directly within those sectors what they need, and what needs to change - that’s the way I’ve always tried to operate in the positions I’ve held, and I’m going to absolutely work under that principle.
“Hospices can be incredibly responsive to the individual needs of patients, and the level of care they offer is phenomenal”, he added. He also criticised the government’s recent hikes to National Insurance for burdening charities such as the BHF with additional operating costs.
His primary criticism of government health policy concerns its handling of the doctors’ strikes. He maintains that the “big, inflation-busting pay rises, offered without any conditions attached” last year emboldened the strikers, and suggested that the government's Employment Rights Bill could further lower the threshold for strike action. The BMA, however, argues that the bill does not go far enough.
“My concern is about patient safety - that really does worry me,” he said.
However, in general, Mr Andrew is looking to offer the government both critique and support in his role opposite Health Secretary Wes Streeting. He spoke of his hope for “cross-party” collaboration on issues such as the ageing population, especially as his own parents are currently in need of social care.
He added: “On a personal level, I get on very well with Wes. My role is to be critical, but also to be constructive, when needed to be."
In addition, he asserts that his new responsibilities will not require any compromise with his work for his constituents in Daventry.
“My constituency is my bread and butter, that’s my number one priority,” he said. “But in order to do that and a good job in your shadow role, you have to put in the hours, and I’m certainly happy to do so.”
The Conservatives have seen their strength in Northamptonshire challenged recently by Reform UK, which swept to power in both North and West Northamptonshire back in May.
Mr Andrew claims that Reform is not telling voters the whole truth when it comes to their policy agenda, including what he describes as uncosted plans to scrap the two-child benefit cap, but acknowledges his party’s fragile position, too.
“We’ve got a lot of rebuilding to do, and Kemi has not shied away from that,” Mr Andrew added. “We’ve just got to show that we are putting our constituents first, and are here to serve them - and expose the inconsistencies in what Reform is saying.”
The resident doctors’ walkout is set to take place from July 25 to 30.