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Health Care in London

I shall restrict my comments. I shall not be party political, nor shall I give a history lesson, because our constituents want and deserve more than cheap political point scoring, although it is unfortunate that this debate is happening at a time when a general election is to be held in a matter of a few weeks. Let me start by talking about secrecy. Normally, the hon. Member for Ilford, South (Mike Gapes) and I would be called in to the primary care trust for a meeting to discuss any proposals, but surprisingly on this occasion the trust did not want us together; it wanted us separately. However, when we went in, we both faced the same panel—a panel of doctors and clinicians—telling us why it was better for our constituents not to have services at King George hospital, and how that would benefit them. We were told that things would be absolutely fine, but let me say this to those bureaucrats. After a public meeting with hundreds of people, which I, like the hon. Member for Islington, North (Jeremy Corbyn), held, we too had a march involving all the parties. The hon. Member for Ilford, South and I, together with other hon. Members in the area, worked together for what is best for our constituents—not what is best for the political parties, but what is best for the people who put us here.