Rebel bid to kill Health Bill fails

Mar 13 2012

The Government has seen off a rebel Liberal Democrat bid to kill off controversial health reforms.

The move, which had the support of the Labour front bench, was defeated by 314 votes to 260, majority 54.

The rebel leader, Andrew George, called for the Health and Social Care Bill to be dropped and urged ministers to hold a summit with medical groups and patients' organisations to thrash out a new set of reforms based on the coalition agreement.

St Ives MP Mr George tabled his proposals as an amendment to a Labour motion which also called for the troubled legislation, which has cleared another hurdle in the Lords, to be scrapped.

He said the Bill had "many failings" and the amendments the Government had been forced into accepting had made it "less bad but not sufficiently good enough" to be pushed through Parliament.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said the reforms to the NHS in England were "the right idea".