QEH rebuild could be scrapped if Chancellor axes new hospitals programme

Fresh doubts have been raised over a new hospital being built in Lynn as rumours suggest the plans could be scrapped.Rachel Reeves, the new Labour Chancellor, is reportedly set to announce cuts worth billions of pounds to cover a “black hole” in public finances.She will address Parliament this afternoon, and is reportedly set to scrap or cut back infrastructure projects.

Projects that could be paused or cancelled include the New Hospital Programme, a Conservative Government pledge to build 40 new hospitals by 2030.This comes despite a spokesman for the party saying it was committed to delivering the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital before the general election took place at the start of this month.Ms Reeves will announce “very tough decisions” to address what Labour is calling a public spending black hole of around £20billion. Writing on X, formerly Twitter, North West Norfolk MP James Wild said: “The expert report was clear it must be rebuilt by 2030 and the Health Secretary has a duty of care to staff and patients.“Will the Prime Minister keep his pledge to NHS staff or break it?” Last week, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he had ordered a review into the funding and timetable for the hospitals programme.He claimed it was “painfully clear” it would not be possible to deliver those hospitals in the timeframe.“I want to see the new hospital programme completed, but I am not prepared to offer people false hope about how soon they will benefit from the facilities they deserve,” Mr Streeting said. “That is why I have asked officials as a matter of urgency to report to me on the degree to which the programme is funded along with a realistic timetable for delivery.“We will not play fast and loose with the public finances, nor will we play fast and loose with people’s trust as the previous Government did.”