Liberal Democrats force vote in Parliament on St Helier delays

The Liberal Democrats used Opposition Day in Parliament - Wednesday 23rd April 2025 - to force a vote on the government’s decision to delay vital works at hospitals in the New Hospitals Programme, including St Helier Hospital.

The Labour government announced in January that plans to rebuild 40 new hospitals under the New Hospitals Programme have been delayed. Some projects have been pushed back by over a decade.

Work on repairs and new facilities in Sutton borough are not scheduled to begin until 2033 at the earliest.

The Liberal Democrat motion yesterday called on the government to reverse the delay to the New Hospital Programme and create a crumbling hospitals taskforce to bring construction dates forward. It also criticised the previous Conservative government for failing to have a realistic plan to fund the new hospitals.

Speaking in a joint statement, Liberal Democrat MPs Paul Kohler (Wimbledon), Bobby Dean (Carshalton and Wallington), Luke Taylor (Sutton and Cheam), Helen Maguire (Epsom and Ewell) and Chris Coghlan (Dorking and Horley), said:

“For years, patients in our area have had to put up with crumbling facilities and unacceptably long A&E waits at St Helier.

“It’s clear the Conservatives made promises they couldn’t keep over St Helier. Now the Labour government has failed to deliver the change they promised and kicked the can down the road on fixing our local health services.

“The Liberal Democrats will hold the government's feet to the fire on this and put pressure on them to speed up these vital works. It is critical that we upgrade our health services so people can finally access the care they deserve.”