Liberal Democrat activists refuse to fully endorse the planned changes to the NHS in England leaving leader Nick Clegg at odds with party members.
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Deputy leader Simon Hughes has suggested that more changes to the Health and Social Care Bill could be imminent after rebels at the party’s spring conference voted out a call for peers to back the legislation.
Party officials insisted that was not the case but today’s anti-NHS vote leaves Nick Clegg at odds with his party’s rank and file.
During his keynote conference speech the deputy prime minister conceded that the shake-up was “controversial” and “difficult” but had “proven the value of coalition”.
“The health Bill was stopped in its tracks and rewritten because this is a coalition government,” he said.
“Competition will be the servant of health care not the master, because this is a coalition government.
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“This is a Bill for patients not profits.
“It is not a Liberal Democrat health Bill but it is a better Bill because of the Liberal Democrats.”
Activists blocked a bid to make “killing the Bill” party policy yesterday, instead opting to debate today the pro-reform “Shirley Williams motion”.
That saved the party leader from being in the potentially explosive position of pushing through legislation while presiding over a party that formally demanded its withdrawal.
But members voted today to remove a crucial line in the motion that called for peers to back the final-stages Bill.
Although that does not oblige the Lib Dems oppose the legislation, it demonstrates the widespread discontentment among the grassroots.