Cancelled ops '˜part of the plan' and '˜nothing's perfect', says May

Theresa May used her New Year interview to defend her handling of the NHS.

PRIME MINISTER Theresa May defended the Government's handling of the NHS winter crisis by claiming that cancelled operations were 'part of the plan' as she pledged to lead for the foreseeable future.

Mrs May looked distinctly uneasy when repeatedly challenged by BBC presenter Andrew Marr over treatment delays, eventually conceding that “nothing’s perfect”.

Forced to apologise to patients last week just 24 hours after claiming the National Health Service was not in crisis, the controversy forms an unwelcome backdrop to Mrs May’s first wide-ranging reshuffle since becoming Prime Minister in July 2016 – and whether to promote, among others, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

Though she carried out limited changes after last June’s election, and then the resignations of Sir Michael Fallon and Priti Patel, the Tory leader clearly feels emboldened after successfully concluding the first phase of Brexit negotiations last month. “I’m not a quitter. I’m in this for the long term,” she declared.

Asked if she would lead the Tories into the next election, due to be held in 2022, she replied: “Obviously I serve as long as people want me to serve.”

Yet Mrs May’s careful choice of words reflects the invidiousness of her position after losing her Commons majority – her party has been unable to coalesce around an alternative leader.