Politics latest: Thousands to lose jobs as PM abolishes NHS England (2025)

Jonathan Hall, the government's independent adviser on terror legislation, also considered the way in which information was released in the wake of the Southport killings.

Rumours that the perpetrator was an illegal immigrant or an Islamist contributed to violent riots after the attack - with neither being true.

A lot of the restriction on information has been justified by authorities by them saying they didn't want to prejudice any trial.

This is where a jury in a trial comes into a case with their mind already made up (they prejudge), rendering the process of justice undermined.

Hall says he is "slightly concerned" the way in which the tests were applied by the police and prosecutors were "so cautious" that they "ignored the danger of saying very little".

'A case for changing the law'

In the case of Southport, it was that the vacuum was filled by dangerous disinformation online.

The lawyer says there's a "case for changing the law", with this maybe consisting of the attorney general giving guidance to the police to say they won't be held in contempt of court if basic facts are released.

Asked if the prime minister was too cautious, Hall says it was more about the decisions of the police and Crown Prosecution Service.

Also speaking to Trevor Phillips tonight is Jonathan Hall, the government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation.

He has been looking into potential changes to the law following the Southport murders last year.

One aspect he examined is whether the requirement for a terror charge to have a specific motivation should be removed.

He warns this would bring the likes of "football hooligans" and "gangsters" under the definition, which would "overwhelm" the system.

But he says there is a case for new legislation and a new crime for people that are in their rooms "making quite detailed attack plans, buying weapons" who aren't specifically terrorists.

Can these people be easily spotted?

Hall goes on to say it can be difficult to track these lone wolves down.

While AI and other tools can help spot patterns, there are so many people who exhibit worrying behaviours - like buying weapons or watching violent content online - that it can be hard to find those who are actually about to stage attacks.

Again, he warns that authorities would be quickly overwhelmed.

NHS England was established in 2013 by former Tory health secretary Andrew Lansley to give the NHS greater independence and autonomy - intending for it to operate at arm's length from the government.

It's responsible for delivering high-quality care, supporting staff, and ensuring value for money.

Its website states it has a "wide range of statutory functions, responsibilities and regulatory powers", which include working with the government to agree funding and priorities for the NHS and overseeing the delivery of safe and effective services.

NHS England employs about 13,000 people.

Why has it been scrapped?

The prime minister said abolishing the body will bring management of the NHS "back into democratic control".

This move will put the NHS "back at the heart of government where it belongs," he said during a speech in east Yorkshire on Thursday, "freeing it to focus on patients, less bureaucracy, with more money for nurses".

He added that the NHS will "refocus" on cutting waiting times at "your hospital".

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: "This is the final nail in the coffin of the disastrous 2012 reorganisation, which led to the longest waiting times, lowest patient satisfaction, and most expensive NHS in history.

"When money is so tight, we can't justify such a complex bureaucracy with two organisations doing the same jobs. We need more doers, and fewer checkers, which is why I'm devolving resources and responsibilities to the NHS frontline."

What will happen now?

NHS England will be brought back into the Department of Health and Social Care.

The department said the reforms would reverse the 2012 reorganisation of the NHS "which created burdensome layers of bureaucracy without any clear lines of accountability".

Board members stepped down days before

In the days before Starmer's announcement, NHS England said three leading board members were stepping down at the end of the month.

Chief financial officer Julian Kelly, NHS chief operating officer Emily Lawson and chief delivery officer and national director for vaccination and screening Steve Russell will leave their roles in the coming weeks.

At the time, NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard - who is also stepping down - said the board members made their decision based on the upcoming changes to the size and function of the centre.

Wes Streeting has admitted he did not anticipate scrapping NHS England when he became health secretary but said it is a "necessary step".

Before Labour won last summer's election, Streeting said he had "absolutely no intention of wasting time with a big costly reorganisation" of the NHS.

But afterSir Keir Starmer dropped the bombshellthat NHS England, the administrative body that runs the health service, will be abolished to slash red tape, the health secretary said his mind was changed.

He told Sky'sTrevor Phillips: "I didn't anticipate coming in wanting to make this change to NHS England. It wasn't on my list of priorities.

"I recognise in order to achieve the change I want, this is a necessary step."

Joining us tonight areWes Streetingto talk about the NHS England news, andJohnathan Hall KC- an independent government adviser on terrorism legislation.

On the panel areBaroness Kate Falland former Labour communications directorTom Baldwin.

Watch live in the stream below or at the top of this page.

Reform UK has consolidated its gains at the general election, with recent polling suggesting it's neck and neck with Labour and ahead of the Tories.

But now a huge row has erupted between Nigel Farage and his fellow MP Rupert Lowe.

Lowe is currently suspended from the party after being reported to the police over alleged threats towards Reform's chairman.

He has called the allegations "false" and says it's because he "dared to question Nigel Farage".

On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson looks at what's behind the row and examines how damaging it is for Reform with Sky's chief political correspondent Jon Craig and Gawain Towler, the party's former director of communications.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch was in Scotland today, and has now reacted to the prime minister saying he will get rid of NHS England.

Badenoch says she has no issue with the decision - but doesn't trust the government of the day to improve the health service.

"I think every government that is elected should do whatever it thinks it needs to do to deliver services for the public," she said.

"So if that's what they think is needed, then I have no qualms with that."

"I don't think everything needs to go to a quango," she added.

"However, Labour run health in Wales, and that's doing a lot worse than England.

"So I don't have any confidence that just because they're bringing [the NHS] under Labour control that's going to improve things."

Speaking to Sky's Trevor Phillips, Wes Streeting seems to suggest more big changes could be on the way for the NHS.

He says the Conservatives set the service up in such a way that it failed in the pandemic, and he wants to change the service.

Streeting tells Trevor: "Today's challenges are part of a much wider reform agenda that's about going further and faster because... I accept that if we just continue on that momentum and trajectory for the next four years, we wouldn't succeed.

"So we do have to put a foot down on the accelerator."

Treatment must be 'fair and fast'

But the health secretary denies he is talking about further privatisation.

He repeats the argument that in a time of crisis - like now - the NHS should provide free treatment with "spare capacity in the private sector".

Streeting says it goes against Labour beliefs to deny someone healthcare based on "left-wing principal".

"Labour principles are about fair and fast access to treatment, free at the point of use, with the same standard access and timely access to care as someone from the wealthiest background," he says.

Watch the full interview on Politics Hub With Trevor Phillips at 7pm.

In the wake of today's announcement that NHS England is set for the chop, previous comments from Health Secretary Wes Streeting have resurfaced in which he said he ruled out such a move.

Speaking to Sky News, Streeting says he realised he had to take the step.

He tells Trevor Phillips: "I didn't anticipate coming in wanting to make this change to NHS England. It wasn't on my list of priorities.

"I recognise that in order to achieve the change I want to, this is a necessary step."

The health secretary adds that his previous comments show his "instincts were not to do this unless it was necessary".

"I've concluded that it is necessary because you can't have a situation where you've got two head offices duplicating work, man marking each other, sometimes working against each other."

Thousands of jobs to go

Streeting frames the changes as "merging the two head offices" of NHS England and the NHS.

Asked by Trevor if it means more than 9,000 civil servants losing their jobs (around half the 19,000 figure making up NHS England, NHS and DHSC), Streeting says "yes".

He says talking in terms of just numbers sounds "straightforward, cold and clinical".

And while he says there are many "decent people" who work across the roles, there is "no way of sugarcoating it" that changes will be made.

Watch the full interview on Politics Hub With Trevor Phillips at 7pm.

Thanks for joining us - you can watch the programme back below.