“The investment was intended to remedy the NHS's poor condition left by the hon. Gentleman and others.”

The claim combines several factual elements that are supported by evidence: **1. Record investment in the NHS:** The Labour government made record-level NHS investments. At the October 2024 Budget, over £25 billion was allocated, and in June 2025, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a further record £29 billion funding boost. The government's own communications and the Institute for Government both describe these as record levels of investment. **2. The NHS was in poor condition when Labour took over:** The Lord Darzi independent investigation (commissioned by the Labour government and published in September 2024) concluded the NHS was "in critical condition." Waiting lists had peaked at 7.8 million in September 2023, the 18-week treatment target had not been met since 2015, and there was a £37 billion shortfall in capital investment. The IFS confirmed that waiting lists doubled in the decade from 2010 and that most waiting-list targets were missed. **3. The investment was explicitly intended to remedy inherited problems:** The government's own publications and speeches consistently frame the investment as addressing the state the NHS was left in. The 10 Year Health Plan press release explicitly references "inherited challenges and neglect of the NHS." Starmer's own speeches refer to "the NHS left by the last government" with "record waiting lists." The political attribution of blame to "the hon. Gentleman and others" (i.e., the previous Conservative government) is standard political framing, but the underlying facts support it: the Darzi report identified austerity in funding and capital starvation as two of four key drivers of the NHS's decline, alongside COVID and management issues. The deterioration occurred predominantly during the 2010–2024 Conservative governments. Sources: - GOV.UK, "Chancellor announces record investment to rebuild National Health Service" (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-announces-record-investment-to-rebuild-national-health-service) - GOV.UK, "PM speech at the launch of the 10 Year Health Plan: 3 July 2025" (https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-speech-at-the-launch-of-the-10-year-health-plan-3-july-2025) - GOV.UK, "Prime Minister's remarks on the NHS: 6 January 2025" (https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/prime-ministers-remarks-on-the-nhs-6-january-2025) - GOV.UK, "Independent Investigation of the National Health Service in England" (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-investigation-of-the-nhs-in-england/independent-investigation-of-the-national-health-service-in-england-accessible-version) - GOV.UK, "PM launches new era for NHS with easier care in neighbourhoods" (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-launches-new-era-for-nhs-with-easier-care-in-neighbourhoods) - IFS, "The past and future of NHS waiting lists in England" (https://ifs.org.uk/sites/default/files/2024-02/The-past-and-future-of-NHS-waiting-lists-in-England-IFS-report-R302.pdf) - Institute for Government, "Performance Tracker 2025: NHS" (https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/performance-tracker-2025/nhs/overview)