Senior people at Conservative HQ have moved rapidly into damage limitation mode after the tabloid press turned on people bashing the NHS.

After a strong condemnation by shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley was not deemed enough, David Cameron was forced to issue his own response.

Update: A full statement has now been posted on the Conservative Party blog:

Millions of people are grateful for the care they have received from the NHS – including my own family. One of the wonderful things about living in this country is that the moment you’re injured or fall ill – no matter who you are, where you are from, or how much money you’ve got – you know that the NHS will look after you.

That’s why we as a Party are so committed not just to the principles behind the NHS, but to doing all we can to improve the way it works in practice. So yes, we will spend more on the NHS, but we will also improve it so that it is more efficient and responsive to patients. People working on the frontline will actually be able get on with the job they signed up for, without getting tied up in a web of targets. And we will put more power in the hands of patients by giving them better information about the care they can expect to receive.

Underlying these reforms, and our whole approach to the NHS, will be one big ambition – that future generations will be even prouder of the NHS than we are today.

(Image via the Tory Fail blog)

But not everyone is sticking with the party line, as Paul Waugh points out.

Then again, the Tories’ Online Communities Editor Craig Elder has now made plain his own views, backing a blog that states that “we love the NHS…like hostage victims love their hostage takers”.

Coverage in the Sun and Daily Mail today has been very negative for the Conservatives.

A Daily Mail story said:

Professor Stephen Hawking has defended the NHS after its severe criticism during the American political debate over health care reforms. The physicist spoke up for the NHS after the Republican Right claimed it was ‘evil’ and ‘Orwellian’ in a direct attack on Barack Obama’s plans to overhaul health care in the U.S.

Critics of the president have said his plans would introduce a ‘socialist’ system like Britain’s.

A Sun comment piece today said:

They reckon our health care system is uncaring, unfair and unbelievably bad. Trump card? Joker more like. True, in the UK the NHS is a political football. And NHS-bashing is a national sport among both doctors and patients.

But that’s because the health service has become a victim of its own success. Many people weren’t around before it was formed – or their memories don’t stretch that far – so they’ve no recollection of the bad old pre-NHS days.

More media coverage
Daily Mirror: Tory MEP in rant against British NHS
Evening Standard: Twitter army goes to war for NHS

Reader comments

1. Liberal Conspiracy

   : Tories in damage-limitation over Hannan http://bit.ly/1mVbOm

2. sunny hundal

   Tory high command in full damage-limitation mode over Dan Hannan MEP http://bit.ly/2QAKS9

3. Aedan Lake

   RT @pickledpolitics: Tory high command in full damage-limitation mode over Dan Hannan MEP http://bit.ly/2QAKS9

4. Liberal Conspiracy

   : Tories in damage-limitation over Hannan http://bit.ly/1mVbOm

   [Original tweet]

5. sunny hundal

   Tory high command in full damage-limitation mode over Dan Hannan MEP http://bit.ly/2QAKS9

   [Original tweet]

6. Aedan Lake

   RT @pickledpolitics: Tory high command in full damage-limitation mode over Dan Hannan MEP http://bit.ly/2QAKS9

   [Original tweet]

7. evileuropean

   Looks like that silly gimp Hannan is in a bit of trouble http://tr.im/wo9H #gimp #tory #twat #hannan #welovethenhs

8. TwatTwats

   Looks like that silly gimp Hannan is in a bit of trouble http://tr.im/wo9H #gimp #tory #twat #hannan #welovethenhs (@evileuropean)

   [Original tweet]

9. Cat

   RT @libcon Liberal Conspiracy » Tories in damage-limitation over Hannan http://bit.ly/rjZGX

   [Original tweet]

10. evileuropean

    Looks like that silly gimp Hannan is in a bit of trouble http://tr.im/wo9H #gimp #tory #twat #hannan #welovethenhs

    [Original tweet]

11. TwatTwats

    Looks like that silly gimp Hannan is in a bit of trouble http://tr.im/wo9H #gimp #tory #twat #hannan #welovethenhs (@evileuropean)

    [Original tweet]

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