KGH rebuild plans under 'review' as new Labour government look to fill economic 'black hole' left by Tories

In a statement to the House of Commons today, the Chancellor confirmed that the former Conservative Government’s pledge to build 40 ‘new’ hospitals by 2030 – a pledge which included the KGH rebuild – was now under review.

Rosie Wrighting, the new Labour MP for Kettering, prioritised visiting KGH in her first week in the job saying she was ‘desperate’ to see the £620m rebuild take place.

Today Ms Reeves said: “In October 2020, the Government announced that 40 new hospitals would be built by 2030. Since then, only one new project has opened to patients and only six have started their main construction activity.

"The National Audit Office were clear that delivery was wildly off track, but since coming into office, it has become clear that the previous government continued to maintain its commitment to 40 hospitals without anywhere close to the funding required to deliver them. That gave our constituents false hope.

"We need to be straight with the British people about what is deliverable and what is affordable, so we will conduct a complete review of the new hospital programme with a thorough realistic and costed timetable for delivery.”

The Labour Chancellor, who visited Kettering during the General Election campaign, announced her plans to reduce the financial ‘black hole’ by £5.5bn this year, and over £8bn next year.

Just three weeks before the vote earlier this month, Ms Reeves told the Northants Telegraph she knew how important the KGH project was – having previously gone the Rothwell Road site to visit ill relatives.

The former Conservative MP Philip Hollobone had claimed Labour would pause or potentially even not proceed with the rebuild if they won the General Election, sparking a war of words between the political parties.

On her visit to Kettering, Ms Reeves had said: “What a load of rubbish. We’ve committed to the rebuild of Kettering General Hospital.

“I know how important it is. I’ve been to Kettering General Hospital when family members of mine have been poorly to see them so I know how important it is to the local area and we are absolutely committed to getting on and delivering the hospital that we need here in Kettering.”

Today (Monday, July 29) she blamed the Conservatives saying: “They continued to make unfunded commitment after unfunded commitment knowing the money was not there."

In a statement to the Northants Telegraph, Mr Hollobone said: “I made the rebuild of KGH my top priority as Kettering’s MP. I got KGH onto the list of 40 new hospitals, kept it on the list when others dropped out, and got the budget increased from the original £46m for the A&E replacement to £500m for the larger rebuild, including £50m for the badly needed new power plant.

“When, during the election campaign, I warned that Labour would shelve the KGH rebuild plans for a review at best and cancellation at worst, Rachel Reeves herself said (whilst in Kettering) that I was talking ‘rubbish’. Local residents can now clearly see who was speaking the truth and who was not.

“All of us who live locally know how important KGH is to our local area. The KGH rebuild is the number one local issue. Yet, despite Labour saying during the campaign that the KGH rebuild was safe in its hands, in just 25 days from the election Labour have made a screeching U-turn and placed the whole project in doubt. Local residents will not forget this betrayal.”

Prior to his election as MP for Corby and East Northants, Lee Barron went on the record saying the rebuild of KGH would go ahead under Labour.

His opponent Tom Pursglove had repeatedly warned voters that a Labour win might put at risk the improvements at the Corby Diagnostic Centre, and the rebuild of Kettering General Hospital.

Mr Barron had said: “The money for the diagnostic centre is allocated, handed over, and the build has started.

"The money for KGH was identified and ring-fenced in the 2021 spending review. It’s there, it’s allocated and the rebuild is going ahead.”