Scottish independence: Brown vows to ‘nail NHS lie’

GORDON Brown yesterday spoke movingly of the NHS treatment his baby daughter received before she died as he vowed to “nail the SNP lie” that Scotland’s health services is at risk of privatisation.

Brown recalled the treatment given to his tragic daughter. Picture: Andrew O'Brien

In a highly emotional speech, the former Prime Minister spoke of his faith and respect for the NHS as he refuted the SNP’s claims that a No vote threatens the health service.

Mr Brown made the personal plea as he accused the nationalists of misleading people over the issue, which he described as a “Trojan horse” in the ­independence referendum ­debate.

The SNP has repeatedly ­argued that the only way to save the health service from privatisation in Scotland is a Yes vote.

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Addressing activists in ­Glasgow, Mr Brown’s voice ­wavered slightly as he spoke about his baby daughter ­Jennifer Jane, who died from a brain haemorrhage in 2002. He also spoke about how his sight was saved after a rugby ­accident left him blind in one eye at the age of 16.

The Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath MP said: “I love Scotland, I love the NHS. I was born into the NHS, I grew up in the NHS, my family grew up in the NHS.

“When I lost the sight of my eye and faced the prospect of going blind, my sight was saved by the NHS.

“When my daughter died it was as the result of not being able… not being able… to do anything to save her life and my respect for the NHS grew as a ­result of the experience that Sarah and I had.

“Do you think that I or anybody else who cares about the NHS would stand by and do nothing if we thought the NHS was going to be privatised in Scotland and its funds were going to be cut? Would we stand back and do nothing without a fight? Of course not.

“We created the NHS, we, not the SNP, built the NHS, we cherished the NHS, in government we took the pain of a tax rise to double the budget of the NHS.

“The only people who could put the Scottish Parliament and health service in Scotland at risk is the SNP, not the Labour Party.”

Mr Brown will speak at 40 events in the run up to the referendum on 18 September.

He said: “The NHS cannot be privatised if that’s not the will of the Scottish people and the ­Scottish health service will have the funding that’s necessary if that’s also the will of the Scottish people.

“Our proposals for a Scottish Parliament with more powers enhance the prospect for that funding over the next few years, without the disruption, the chaos and uncertainty and the loss that will occur if we break from the United Kingdom.”

The leaders of the three main pro-union parties have pledged more ­powers for Scotland if it rejects independence.

Mr Brown set out a proposed timetable for greater ­autonomy for Holyrood yesterday.

He said: “The choice on 18 September is really between two different kinds of change.

“The change sought by the nationalists – breaking all ­constitutional connections with our friends, neighbours and family in the rest of the UK – places the dogma of independence over the needs and interests of the Scottish people.

“But the proposals supported by the pro-devolution parties offer faster change, fairer change, safer change and better change. It is the change that most of us want and change that brings Scotland together.”

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