Treasury blocks Boris Johnson's plan to clear NHS backlog

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Multi-billion-pound programme put on ice amid tensions between No 10 and Rishi Sunak



A multi-billion pound plan to tackle the NHS backlog has been delayed after the Treasury blocked an announcement due to be made on Monday.

The National Recovery Plan for the health service had been the subject of detailed discussions over the past week involving Number 10, the Treasury, the Department of Health and the NHS.

Health officials were expecting it to be announced by Boris Johnson and Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, on Monday as evidence of the Government’s determination to tackle delays in treatment owing to the Covid pandemic, which have left a record six million patients on waiting lists.

However, it has emerged that the Treasury refused to sign off the plans, with sources citing concerns over value for money after deadlines for hitting treatment targets slipped as a result of the omicron surge.

It comes amid reports of growing tensions between Downing Street and the Treasury.

One NHS leader at the weekend suggested that the Treasury may be reluctant to sign off big spending plans amid uncertainty over how long Mr Johnson will remain in office.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS confederation, tweeted on Sunday: "Increasingly getting the sense that Johnson now faces the same (but more intense and short term) challenges Tony Blair had in his third term, namely that HMT is loath to agree to any No 10 plans involving money, as the chancellor sees these as opportunistic and wasted on a dying administration".