Conservative party leader says ‘we end up with various coalitions at local level’ as she suggests councillors could do deals with Reform
The Liberal Democrats have claimed that the Tories and Reform UK have “merged in all but name” with Kemi Badenoch as Conservative leader. In a statement responding to Badenoch’s BBC Breakfast interview (see 9.34am), Daisy Cooper, the deputy Lib Dem leader, said:
Badenoch may have ruled out at a pact with Farage but the reality is the Conservatives and Reform have merged in all but name under her leadership.
You couldn’t put a cigarette paper between Badenoch and Farage when it comes to their policies. It’s clear the Conservatives have totally abandoned the centre ground.
The NHS has delivered more than 3.1 million additional appointments since July 2024 and hit the ambitious faster diagnosis standard for cancer, new figures show today.
Monthly performance data shows that there were more than 3.1 million additional appointments delivered in the seven months from July 2024 (3,106,424 elective operations, outpatient appointments and diagnostic tests up until January 2025) meaning that the overall waiting list fell for the sixth month in a row in February.
We made a promise to the British public that we would create 2 million more appointments for patients in our first year – today we’ve already dwarfed this target and have reached 3.1 million additional appointments in the first 6 months.
Today’s data also shows we have cut the waiting list for the sixth month in a row, by a total 219,000 since July, with fewer patients waiting over 18 weeks which can have significant benefits on their health outcomes.
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