Reports in the Guardian newspaper that the long-awaited move by Papworth Heart Hospital to Cambridge have been scuppered by the Coalition Government have been slammed by Cambridge Labour Parliamentary Candidate Daniel Zeichner. He accuses Conservative and Liberal Democrat health ministers of playing politics with one of the most cherished NHS institutions. Building of the new facility at the Cambridge Bio-medical campus is scheduled to start in just a few months time, but the Guardian reports that the Government has stepped in to consider a rethink, to help bail-out the financially troubled Peterborough Hospital.

Mr Zeichner says: “It is quite incredible that Conservative and Liberal Democrat ministers should put the future of Papworth in doubt to try and help solve the financial problems of a neighbouring NHS trust. The decision should be based on clinical evidence and clinical evidence alone, not financial gerrymandering. The whole basis of the changes to the NHS that the Government forced through was supposed to put local clinicians in charge – the truth is that this government’s NHS is a top-down ruthless organisation that takes no heed of local opinion and is driven only by cash calculation.”