‘It’s off the wall nuts’: Did Liz Truss really ‘consider cutting cancer treatment from the NHS’?

By Jacob Paul (with Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall)

Liz Truss considered a series of cuts to claw back the economic damages caused by her mini-budget, but there was one measure in particular that sparked serious worries.

'Politically unacceptable': Liz Truss author on cancer treatment cut claims

In brief…

• A new book by historian Sir Anthony Seldon has revealed that Liz Truss allegedly considered cutting free cancer treatment on the NHS.
• It was reportedly part of a “doom list” she was handed by the Treasury in response to her disastrous mini budget.
• This would have been ‘off the wall nutsThe News Agents say.

What’s the story?

Liz Truss’ was allegedly considering taking free cancer treatment off the NHS to help plug a huge fiscal black hole during her short reign as prime minister.

The explosive revelation was made in historian Sir Anthony Seldon’s new book ‘Truss at 10’.

The esteemed professor is an expert on many previous prime ministers, and has written biographies on a whole host of former leaders. He spoke to dozens of people close to Truss to get the inside story of her premiership.

In an interview on The News Agents, he tells Lewis and Jon about the “doom list” of potential measures drawn up in the aftermath of Truss’ disastrous mini-budget.

Where has this come from?

Seldon says this was all sparked by the fact that there was a £72 billion black hole in the country’s finances.

Why? Because of the “appallingly judged mini-budget” and the fact Truss “hadn't listened to advice” before unveiling it.

Seldon said: “People who knew her were worried about the black hole and where she might go to find the cuts that were necessary to try and restore credibility in this nation.”

One direction, which Seldon was told was drawn up on a “doom list” by the Treasury, was cutting back on free cancer treatment for the NHS.

He says one person in particular, who was “very close” to Truss, told him they were “seriously worried” that she would resort to this measure.

“Of course, that would have been politically unacceptable,” he adds.

What has Liz Truss said since?

Truss has since denied these allegations.

A spokesman for the former PM told The Independent it is “completely untrue that she ever considered” cutting cancer treatment.

Her Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, told the publication: “I wasn’t involved in any conversations about restricting healthcare, but that doesn’t mean the Prime Minister and her team didn’t discuss this.”

Seldon says whether or not she was actually serious about pulling the plug on free cancer treatment is simply “unknowable”.  But what he does insist is that at least one member of her team feared she would.

The News Agents take

Jon Sopel says: “Just when you think that the Liz Truss premiership, all 49 days of it, can’t get anymore unbelievable, then a new book comes up with an absolutely draw dropping, astonishing detail.

“Denying NHS patients cancer treatment is so freaking off the wall, nuts” he adds.

“Liz truss moved in my mind when I read that from a kind of comic figure to a sort of, is she well? Is she mad that she could have even entertained that?"

It’s an “absolute vote winner if ever there was one”, Lewis Goodall jokes.

On a more serious note, Lewis adds that the story of Liz Truss’ short reign has “contemporary resonance”.

He says: “The Conservative Party, undergoing its leadership contest, is still reeling from and having to come to terms with what happened over those 50 days or so.

“And also given that Truss has famously not accepted reality that she was at fault at all and is continuing to, albeit outside of parliament, give her version of events and trying to exert a political pull on the Conservative Party, what she thinks and says and the facts of her premiership really do matter.”

Listen to the full discussion on The News Agents

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