---

Family Doctor Services

Labour Members of Parliament, who are in a weird parallel universe with the Prime Minister, voted against a Conservative motion on post offices in the Lobby, and then ran hotfoot to their constituencies to address public meetings, in which they said how hard they were working to keep post offices open, having issued press releases and put them on their websites. I am an old cynic, but I foresee occasions when my Labour opponent will be fighting tooth and claw to protect surgeries that his own Government have led to be closed. My admiration for local NHS staff is well-known, and we are fortunate to have good managers in our area, but my job as a Member of Parliament is to stick up for the people in my constituency who do not have a voice, and to ask awkward questions. I will continue to ask those questions until we have full, honest and transparent answers from the Government on polyclinics, and until we concentrate on the really important issues—on making the whole of our communities better—instead of on gimmicks that will lead to disaster.