THE Labour candidate for Basingstoke said the party is committed to delivering a new hospital for the town.

Luke Murphy, the prospective parliamentary candidate for Basingstoke, said that if Labour wins power following the general election on July 4, it will complete plans to build a new hospital for Basingstoke.

A new hospital for Basingstoke was a key part of the Conservative party’s 2019 election manifesto. However, the New Hospitals Programme (NHP) has since been beset by delays, with several schemes delayed until the 2030s, including Basingstoke.

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(Image: Luke Murphy) Labour has set out its commitment to deliver the programme, confirming it will deliver a new hospital for Basingstoke if in power, as part of its plan to get the NHS back on its feet and make it fit for the future.

Mr Murphy, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Basingstoke, said: “There is no clearer sign of the damage the Conservatives have done to our NHS, than the crumbling hospital patients in Basingstoke are being treated in. They have failed to follow through on Maria Miller’s promise to fund the hospital and to build it before 2030, and given another five years they will fail again.

“The rebuild of Basingstoke’s hospital is long overdue. If I’m elected as MP for Basingstoke, I will campaign day and night to get a new hospital for Basingstoke built, working with a Labour government to get this done as soon as possible. I’ll also be clear, honest, and transparent about its progress.

“Only Labour can deliver the change the NHS needs.”

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(Image: Basingstoke Gazette) Wes Streeting, shadow health secretary, said: “Rishi Sunak has promised voters he’ll build 40 new hospitals by 2030, despite his government planning to delay it for another five years. He is either lying to the public or doesn’t have the first clue what’s going on.

“Rishi Sunak failed to keep his promises to cut waiting lists or build a single new hospital. Given another five years in charge, he’ll fail again and waiting lists will hit 10 million.

“Only Labour has a plan to deliver the change our NHS needs. We are committed to delivering the New Hospitals Programme, including a new hospital for Basingstoke.”

Maria Miller, the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Basingstoke, who has been the town’s MP for 19 years, said she has written to the health secretary and the chancellor calling for the building of the town’s new hospital to be brought forward.

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) has been told it will receive between £700m and £900m to build a new hospital. However, NHP programme leaders in the Government are yet to approve the national business case, meaning funding allocations from 2025 and 2026 onwards have not yet been approved.

The trust has carried out a consultation on its plans and is set to release the results of this in the summer along with a chosen location for a proposed new hospital, either at the current Basingstoke hospital site or on land at Junction 7 of the M3.

The Basingstoke seat has been held by Conservative Maria Miller since 2005. 

As well as Dame Maria, the other confirmed candidates for the Basingstoke seat are: Luke Murphy (Labour), Richard Whelan (Liberal Democrats) and Michael Howard-Sorrell (Green Party). 

The Gazette has launched a campaign to Build Our Hospital. You can read all the updates here.