Alan Milburn, the guy set to be heading Wes Streeting’s NHS reform under the new Keir Starmer-led Labour Party government appears to have his fingers in many different private healthcare pies – meaning he has had a very profitable few years:
🔴 SCOOP: Alan Milburn’s lucrative private healthcare gigs
– Milburn is reportedly Starmer’s pick for new role ‘driving NHS reform’, but his private consultancy paid out £8 million+ to the ex Labour health sec and family
– Cash came primarily from private healthcare interests…
— Peter Geoghegan @ democracyforsale.uk (@PeterKGeoghegan) July 16, 2024
Milburn is a former health secretary and MP for Darlington from 1992 to 2010. Thanks to independent journalism from Peter Geoghegan at Democracy for Sale, we know that his company, AM Strategy, has just one employee and more than £4.9m in the bank. In total the company has paid out £8.36m to Milburn and his family since 2016:
@skiduffer
Not just dodgy Tory consultants with massive conflicts of interest. @LeePitcher9https://t.co/JqQo3E3aOn— Mickrab (@mickrab) July 16, 2024
You can read Geoghegan’s full investigation here.
We knew the Tories would continue to privatise the NHS if they stayed in power. But, it seems the Canary’s warnings about Labour doing the same should NOT have been taken with a pinch of salt. In fact, no salt needed:
Day after day it becomes clearer how much the Private Health Industry seems to have managed to embed itself within the Labour Party and become ohh so cosy with Lab party associates close to the top.Maybe not surprising given what’s up for grabs but is our NHS safe under Labour? https://t.co/FEfuikxKQa
— Ruth Henderson (@RuthHen05786097) July 16, 2024
Actions speak louder than words
Many people are concerned that his financial interests completely contradict the principles of a public healthcare system. Only last week, new health secretary Wes ‘on a ship’ Streeting assured us that the NHS would remain free at the point of use:
Incredibly important article about Alan Milburn. Please retweet!! ⬇️💙🚨
My quote in the piece: “Starmer needs to ask himself what message he is delivering to the public, by considering involving someone so linked to the private health sector in his plans,” says @JujuliaGrace https://t.co/8c1iav88nk
— Dr Julia Grace Patterson💙 (@JujuliaGrace) July 16, 2024
Clearly, companies paid to advise on NHS reform are going to profit from that very same reform. Is there any surprise that the companies being consulted are former government ministers and no doubt pals with our new prime minister?
“The prospect of Milburn’s return to government has prompted concerns among some healthcare campaigners who say companies that he has been paid to advise could profit from NHS reforms.”https://t.co/2FmgZp1uL0
— John Grumble💙 (@DrGrumble) July 16, 2024
Milburn is already an expert in outsourcing NHS services to private companies. As Geoghegan wrote for Democracy for Sale:
Milburn has a number of private healthcare interests. He chairs PricewaterhouseCooper’s ‘health industries oversight’ board, which was set up to expand the accountancy firm’s business interests in public and private healthcare.
Milburn is also a senior advisor to private equity group Bridgepoint Capital, which owns one of England’s largest external providers of NHS services and a large care home chain. He has also advised confectioner Mars Incorporated and been chair of US private healthcare giant Centene’s Spanish subsidiary, Ribera Salud.
Maybe part of NHS reform will be only providing confectionary made by Mars Incorporated. A Mars bar a day might keep the government in the pockets of their corrupt private health care cronies – as the saying now seemingly goes.
Political corruption?
During the Covid pandemic we saw the Tories throw cash directly at their pals for dodgy PPE contracts. Just because Labour are labelling it as NHS reform and it’s wearing a red tie – doesn’t mean it’s not political corruption:
Political corruption comes in many forms, and it’s not always our cash being pushed directly into govt party’s friends & families’ bank accounts.
Corruption in red is still corruption, and this version comes with NHS privatisation attached.#AlanMilburnhttps://t.co/ar6G7aJ7VZ
— I Am Incorrigible also on Bluesky, threads & masto (@ImIncorrigible) July 16, 2024
If ever proof were needed that Keir Starmer’s version of the Labour party are “Red Tories” and in the pockets of private healthcare, this is it:- https://t.co/wYCttdHq1K
— JennyS (@Chickyholic) July 16, 2024
The #NHS has been underfunded by the Tory party so Streeting will correct that by . . . funding the private sector.#UKdemocracy gave us this.#SaveOurNHS https://t.co/rA5OEj3mTh
— Calum Webster (@CalumWebster) July 16, 2024
Labour is already lining up their corporate buddies to head up its so-called NHS reforms. Alan Milburn’s appointment seems to prove what the Canary and other independent media outlets have been warning all along. The UK’s public healthcare institution is not safe in Starmer’s grubby hands.
Feature image via Channel 4 News/Youtube
