2026: Week 2 - NHS neglect
At this point in January we can say the festivities of Christmas and New Year are truly over, and my thoughts turn to the coming 12 months. One of the most precious institutions in the UK is our NHS, it is something that must be preserved for future generations, yet it is evident our beloved health service is still struggling. After years of failure and neglect under the Conservatives and now Labour, the Liberal Democrats are putting forward a bold plan to finally tackle the crisis in Emergency medicine, a first step to fix the NHS and social care. The Lib Dems would ensure you can see a GP when you need to and that nobody is left waiting hours on end in an Emergency Department.
It’s shocking that thousands of people are being treated in hospital corridors. Sadly, corridor care is becoming normalised, with job adverts being posted looking for “corridor care doctor” and “corridor nurses”. This is an untenable situation, and one that the Government should be looking to fix as a matter of priority, sadly it appears they are not willing to do so.
The Conservatives left the NHS in crisis, but Labour are letting things get even worse under their watch. It’s no wonder people are so fed up with these two parties and are looking for real change.
The Liberal Democrats would introduce a legal right for patients to be seen within 12 hours at A&E and invest £1.5bn in extra hospital beds and care in the community. We would tackle the social care gap leaving so many people stuck in hospital even though they’re well enough to be discharged. This would be paid for by cancelling the Government’s deal with Trump that will force the NHS to pay £3bn a year more in higher medicine prices.
Turning to the fast-paced world of social media, I was pleased to see that Ofcom has launched an investigation into Elon Musk's X over concerns its AI tool Grok is being used to create sexualised images. In a statement, the UK watchdog said there had been "deeply concerning reports" of the tool being used to create and share undressed images of women and girls, as well as "sexualised images of children".
X responded by restricting this tool use to paid subscribers.
X is monetising sexual abuse, and that cannot continue for a moment longer. Ofcom is right to investigate, but while it does, access to X and Grok must be immediately restricted through a temporary business disruption order. Every delay risks more victims. Additionally, I would issue a challenge to Nigel Farage to stop profiting from a platform that enables abuse. If they truly care about the people they currently represent and wish to represent in the future, Reform MPs should donate every penny they earn from X to charities supporting survivors of sexual exploitation.
As is too frequent these days, I find myself commenting on an horrific event in the US, this time the shooting of Renee Good by an ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officer. This was a completely unnecessary death, and the response from both Trump and his administration has been chilling. My thoughts are with Ms Good’s family and friends at this difficult time.