Wes Streeting accuses Nigel Farage of ‘miserablist’ vision for UK

“The crux of Farage’s argument is this: what was possible in the 20th Century isn’t possible in the 21st,” Streeting told his audience.

“People shouldn’t have to choose between a health service that treats them on time and an NHS free at the point of use.”

Nigel Farage has previously suggested that the NHS could be replaced by an insurance-based system. However, Reform policy documents say healthcare should always remain free at the point of delivery.

“The populist right are coming for us and we need to be serious about beating them,” Streeting said, adding that Farage could be defeated by “turning around the NHS”.

The health secretary spoke of meeting people every day on the campaign trail “who had been let down by the NHS”, being made to wait for ambulances or operations.

Some voters had “the most appalling experiences, and because of how they’ve been treated, they were voting for Reform”, he said.

Farage wrote on social media following the speech that Streeting “is so scared of Reform that he has now resorted to lying about our plans for the NHS”.

“Let me be clear, the NHS will always be free at the point of delivery under a Reform government,” he added.

Farage has said that his ultimate goal is to win the next general election, building on the momentum that Reform has recently enjoyed.

While his party has largely been viewed as a threat to the Conservatives, in recent weeks it has been gaining ground on both Labour and the Tories in opinion polls.

One recent YouGov poll, external, which asked people who would make the best prime minister, suggested similar levels of support for both Nigel Farage and Sir Keir Starmer.