Elections

Cancer patients in Hammersmith and Shepherds Bush will get access to drugs that they are currently denied under Labour if the Conservatives win the general election, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Hammersmith, Shaun Bailey, announced this week.

Under the bold new plans, the NHS would save £200 million because Conservatives will stop Labour's jobs tax on employers. This NHS saving would be used to pay for drugs which have been blocked by the Government's quango, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE).

In the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (which runs Charing Cross and Hammersmith Hospitals), which employs 10,010 staff, the cost of Labour's increase in Employers' National Insurance contributions - the jobs tax - is estimated to be £1,501,500.

* The Labour Government has failed to provide patients with the cancer drugs they need - drugs which are widely available in Europe. Britain has more cancer deaths per head than Buglaria. The current system lets Ministers off the hook. They blame bad decisions on unaccountable bureaucrats in NICE, the agency which approves drugs for the NHS.
* Under the Conservative blueprint, the money that would have been eaten up by Labour's jobs tax would go straight to a new Cancer Drugs Fund. No cancer patient will be refused access to drugs that have been licensed since 2005 if their doctors say they need them.
* Conservatives will also change the way that drug companies are paid for NHS medicines. Effective treatments for all conditions, not just cancer, would become available on the NHS, with drug providers paid according to the value of their new treatments.

Commenting, Shaun said: "There is a clear choice at this election: Labour and their jobs tax that will take £200 million out of the NHS budget; or the Conservatives who will stop the jobs tax and use the savings in the NHS budget to create a Cancer Drugs Fund.

"The NHS is our number one priority. We are committed to helping our NHS become truly world-class. Giving Hammersmith and Shepherds Bush's patients access to cancer drugs widely available in Europe is a key part of our plan for change and making the NHS even better."

Last weekend, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg claimed that it was 'stating the obvious' to suggest that a hung Parliament was in Britain's interest. He claimed that Greek style unrest would result unless all parties were involved in resolving Britain's economic woes.

This is absurd. All three parties have different views on how best to improve the economy. Conservatives want to bolster employment through stopping National Insurance  increases. Our view has been backed by scores of business leaders. The present Labour Government wants to continue borrowing into the future, but have no plans to pay for it. The Liberal Democrats want to raise taxes even further, in order to continue spending. The idea that we need a forced compromise is wishful thinking. There is no guarantee that agreement would be reached, and a period of indecision could cause further damage.

What is needed is not a Government made up of all the parties, but one that actually includes the people of the country in decision making.  The Conservatives have put this approach at the heart of their manifesto. In each and every policy area, the Party has drafted plans that will increase citizen participation - in education, the environment, and even foreign affairs.  Our "Invitation to join the next Government of Britain" will help guard against public disenchantment with politicians, by providing people with a real sense of involvement. After thirteen years of top down policies, it is long overdue.

A further 12 businesses have signed up to our petition to prevent Labour's National Insurance (NI) increase. These 12 come on top of over 50 other local businesses previously signed up this week.

The latest signatories are:

Finlay Brewer Limited, W6
Nichols Employment Agency, W12
Handy Hard Store, W14
Olympia Post Office, W14
Z. Gholian, Barber, W14
Uno Moto, W6
P. C. Clinic Services, W14
James Purdey & Sons LTD, (Manufacturing) W6
The Local Data Company, W6
Deli Bar at W14, W14
Mitra Interiors, W14
Ackery Consulting, W12

The full story with the list of the 50 original businesses signed up to the petition can be found here.

Over 50 small businesses in Hammersmith in the past two days have signed up to Conservative candidate Shaun Bailey's petition to prevent Labour's National Insurance (NI) increase.

Commenting today, Shaun said, "After seeing so many national business leaders come out against this NI increase, I wanted to talk to local Hammersmith & Shepherds Bush businesses to see how this would affect them. The response has been overwhelming, with over 50 small business owners signing up to support the Conservatives plan to stop Labour's tax rise on jobs."

Conservative Party Leader, David Cameron, joined Shaun Bailey in Hammersmith today, where he met with young people who have just graduated in a course run by local charity, SPEAR.

Based out of the St Paul's Centre on Macbeth Street, Hammersmith, SPEAR is a free interactive six week course that helps young people between the ages of 16 and 24 who can't work out what to do with their lives.

Shaun's Labour opponent called Gordon Brown's disastrous decision to sell off Britain's gold cheap - losing the taxpayer £6 billion - a 'good decision' on LBC Radio today. Click below to listen!