Choice and Competition Chair briefed by Lansley and SPAD before appearance on Health and Social Care Bill Committee

Just when you though the so-called ‘listening exercise could not be more of a sham, a new quote from Sir Stephen Bubb has come to light that reveals he was briefed by Lansley and his Special Advisor, Bill Morgan, before an appearance before the Public Bill Committee meeting on the Health and Social care bill.


We already know that the recommendations of the Choice and Competition working group were agreed and included in Cameron’s speech before their report had been given to No10. Here.

We know too that the Lansley, his special advisor and the NHS Partners Network met to comfort the lobby group that competition would remain in the bill before parliament had even had a chance to debate it. Here.

We know Bubb held secret meetings with the director of a private health care lobby group, the NHS Partners Network. A document revealed he had two lengthy meetings with David Worskett and other members of the lobby group. Here.

We also know that many of the members of the lobby group are the employers of our Lords and MPs. Here.

Now we learn that Bubb was having talks and walks along Whitehall in which he said:

‘Well that was spooky! Walking along Whitehall talking to Andrew Lansley's Special Advisor on aspects of the Health Bill I bump into... Andrew Lansley. So some useful lobbying. I'm speaking to the Committee stage of the Health Bill at the Commons on Thursday so I'm getting briefed on key points we want to raise. We strongly support the "any willing provider" concept, just as we opposed the misjudged "preferred provider" policy of Burnham.'

True to his word or at least the words of Lansley and his advisor, Bubb spoke at the committee on behalf of the third sector stating: ‘we are strongly behind the concept of “any willing provider”... The any willing provider approach actually allows us to get stuck in a way that has not been possible before.’

The so-called ‘listening exercise’ was nothing of the sort when it came to Choice and Competition, and the reward for Sir Stephen Bubb is according to Charity Times to become a Peer for the Liberal Democrats and will be ennobled as Lord Bubb of Charlbury.