Ed Miliband’s pledge to protect the NHS is a “pale imitation” of Neil Kinnock’s disastrous 1992 campaign that could lead to defeat at the polls, a former Labour cabinet minister has warned.
Alan Milburn, the former health secretary and a leading Blairite, said that it would be a “fatal mistake” for the party to increase the NHS budget without reforming it for the modern age. The party risked drawing opprobrium for sticking to its comfort zone, he added.
The party grandee made his attack as the Labour leader announced key spending pledges on health yesterday. It represents a significant assault on the party’s strategy, which has put a defence of the NHS at the front and centre of the election campaign.
Mr Miliband has been