What we've been waiting for

Labour take action to tackle NHS backlogs | Cash boost for scanners & surgical hubs

-  ASHLEY COWBURN and DAVE BURKE

AFTER 14 years of Tory cuts that have left the NHS on its knees, there is now hope for its future with Labour's Budget.

Rachel Reeves will tomorrow pump billions of pounds into the crisis-hit service to slash waiting lists, with two million extra appointments a year.

But Health Secretary Wes Streeting warned that repairing the Tory mess will not be easy.

Ms Chancellor Reeves said ahead of Labour's first Budget in 15 years: "Our NHS is the lifeblood of Britain.

It exemplifies public services at their best, there for us when we need it and free at the point of use, for everyone.

"That's why I am putting an end to the underinvestment and neglect and it has seen for over a decade now.

"We will be known as the government that took the NHS from its worst crisis in its history, got it back on its feet and made it fit for the bright future ahead of it."