Labour has laid out its vision today to succeed in a vital policy area where the Tories have all but failed: clearing the NHS backlog.
Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, and shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, have given themselves five years – until the end of next parliament – to meet the NHSÂ target that calls for at least 92 per cent of patients to begin their treatment within 18 weeks of referral.
This is ambitious of Starmer and Streeting. The NHS target has not been hit since February 2016. And the waiting list currently stands at 7.5 million –  of which 3.2 million have been waiting over 18 weeks for treatment.
