NHS Bill-It must be stopped before it is too late

In what must be seen as a major blow to the government and in particular the beleaguered health secretary Andrew Lansley,the influential Tory blog Conservative Home has come out against the NHS bill describing it as not just a distraction but potentially fatal to the Conservative Party's electoral prospects.

Editor Tim Montgomerie writes that:

The NHS was long the Conservative Party’s Achilles heel. David Cameron’s greatest political achievement as Leader of the Opposition was to neutralise health as an issue. The greatest mistake of his time as Prime Minister has been to put it back at the centre of political debate.

and continues

Following a week in which it has been reported that certain members of the cabinet reputedly wanted him taken out and shot and despite wholesale support during angry PMQ clashed,this must surely be another massive blow for Lansley,for it is certain that certain members of the Tory hierarchy are behind the article.

As Montgomerie adds

Andrew Lansley will have to move on. He will have to move on because he hasn’t been able to communicate these reforms in a streetwise way and he has been unnecessarily confrontational with NHS staff.

Tory poll puts government failings as the reason for poll lead

It probably wont make the best of weekend reading material for the Tory party but the latest poll from Conservative Home says that 80 per cent of respondants explain the Tory lead primarily in terms of Labour failure.

The economy was high on the list and Tim Montgomerie has kindly provided a wordle for the results.

But it must be worrying that it is negatives rather than positives that are propelling the party to the top of the polls

The latest and Keith Vaz for a knighthood

David Cameron seemed clearly upset during PMQ's as the Prime Minister brought up the fact that Conservative Home had come out in favour of the 42 day legislation.

It is of course,an Independent site,but is seen as the unofficial/official blog of the party.

Meanwhile Miranda Richardson has the latest rumours from Westminster,including the Keith Vaz? has been offered a knighthood.