Rishi Sunak admits he has failed to cut NHS waiting lists

Rishi Sunak has acknowledged that the government has fallen short of its commitment to reduce NHS waiting lists in England. 

In a TalkTV interview with Piers Morgan, the prime minister conceded that insufficient progress had been made, attributing some of the challenges to the impact of industrial action within the health service. 

Back in January 2023, Sunak outlined cutting NHS waiting lists as one of five priorities, along with addressing economic issues and illegal immigration. While expressing the goal of faster and improved care access, no specific was provided. 

Asked by Morgan if his government has failed to achieve that pledge, Sunak said: “Yes, we have.”

The PM continued: “What I would say to people is that we’ve invested record amounts in the NHS – more doctors, more nurses, more scanners.

“All these things mean the NHS is doing more than it ever has but industrial action has had an impact.”