Reeves focuses on NHS waiting list ahead of Budget

The chancellor discussed cutting national debt and cost of living, but the NHS took centre stage during the speech. Reeves said that the Government had provided "record investment in our NHS" and had reduced waiting lists by "over 200,000 since the election". NHS England has released its waiting list statistics, showing that 7.41 million patients were awaiting treatment in August 2025. The figure has risen from 7.4m in July this year, which was also a rise from 7.37m and 7.36m in the preceding two months. Brett Hill, head of health and protection, Broadstone, said: "The threat o...