BRITS STILL BACK NHS PRINCIPLES

MOST people still support the founding principles of the NHS, as Reform UK threatens to replace it with an insurance-based model.

- BY MARTIN BAGOT Health Editor

NIGEL Farage's ascent to the top of the opinion polls has been unstoppable but the NHS issue could turn out to be the one that derails his Reform UK bandwagon.

After the economy (stupid), the NHS is generally accepted as the biggest election issue likely to affect the way people cast their vote.

Privately educated Farage's bluster and soundbites may allow him to sidestep most tricky questions about what a Reform UK government would actually do but on the future of the NHS, voters will want straightforward answers.

We all rely on the NHS to look after us from the cradle to the grave.

DECENCY

It is widely considered a British national treasure, celebrated during its 75th anniversary and supported in public surveys.

After its founding it was admired and imitated around the world.

And for many of us, the health service embodies British values of fairness, equality and decency.