Charlie Alford

Health groups urge Burnham to scrap “deadly” NHS agreement with Trump to save over 200k lives

Post author:Maddison Wheeldon
Post published:8 July 2026
Post last modified:8 July 2026

19 health groups have co-authored a letter sent to new Makerfield MP and likely-PM Andy Burnham to urge him to scrap a terrible agreement made with Trump which could see almost 230k preventable deaths. The new deal will divert £44.7bn from essential health services to cover the cost of new medicines, which comes as a huge boon for greedy Big Pharma and a foreboding death knell for hundreds of thousands of British citizens. Academics from the University of York, Liverpool and Christchurch hospital in New Zealand have found that this level of reduction in NHS spending to foot the bill for…

Palantir is feeling heat from the NHS, but will lobbied politicians listen?

Post author:Nandita Lal
Post published:7 July 2026
Post last modified:8 July 2026

Lib Dem MP Martin Wrigley told the Canary last week that the NHS will consider whether to exit its contract with Palantir at the end of this year. Wrigley added that he would be helping to create an “off-ramp” to help the NHS detach from Palantir. In 2023, Palantir was awarded the £330 million NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) contract, covering up to 240 NHS bodies over seven years. The initial term ends in February 2027 and promises to deliver an integrated system where NHS organisations, up to 240 health bodies, can share operational data. Palantir’s NHS sales pitch Palantir clients…

10 years on, what did (leaving) the EU ever do for the NHS?

Post author:Grace
Post published:26 June 2026
Post last modified:26 June 2026

This week, as of 23 June, marks ten years since the UK public voted for Brexit — that is, to leave the European Union. Predictably, given that it was orchestrated by the likes of Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage, it’s been a proper shitshow – and there are few areas where that’s been more visible than the NHS. One of the many cheap slogans of the Leave campaign, which now seems seared into the national consciousness, was: We send the EU £350 million a week. Let’s fund our NHS instead – Vote Leave. Two loosely-connected statements — one factual, one speculative…

Muslim NHS nurse leads campaign to get more women cycling

Post author:The Canary
Post published:19 June 2026
Post last modified:21 June 2026

An NHS worker who learned to cycle in her 40s, is preparing to take on her first ever cycling commute. It’s part of a “Switch Your Journey” challenge encouraging women to swap car and train journeys for cycling in East London. Nelufa Aziz is leading the campaign. She’s a 45-year-old Community Nursery Nurse from Tower Hamlets who learned to cycle just two years ago. She joined women-only cycling lessons with Cycle Sisters, a charity supporting Muslim and ethnically diverse women to cycle, to become more active. But she’s since become a volunteer Ride Leader with the organisation, and now supports other…

International trans health bodies express “deep concern” for NHS ban on HRT for under-18s

Post author:Alex/Rose Cocker
Post published:11 June 2026
Post last modified:11 June 2026

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and its European counterpart (EPATH) have issued a joint statement expressing their “deep concern” regarding NHS plans to suspend hormone prescriptions for trans under-18s in England. On 9 March, NHS England published a draft clinical policy outlining its plan for public consultation. In essence, it proposed that: MAF (masculinising and feminising) Hormones are not recommended to be available as a routine commissioning option through the NHS Children and Young People’s Gender Service. This represents a sharp break from the current clinical policy, which was itself updated in 2024 in a knee-jerk response to…

The Israel lobby’s toxic attempt to silence solidarity with Palestine in the NHS

Post author:Ed Sykes
Post published:5 June 2026
Post last modified:9 June 2026

In a new review, notorious pro-Israel agitator John Mann has pushed for measures to silence NHS humanitarianism. The government and NHS have already pledged to implement them, including a crackdown on NHS staff members openly expressing solidarity with Palestinian people during Israel’s ongoing genocide. This is about Israel, not about ending racism Israel is a key junior partner to US billionaire–imperialism. The UK is a junior partner too, so giving Israel political and material support is just part of the deal. And for British political elites trying to get away with this shameful behaviour, consistent and widespread public outrage over Israel’s…

Report proposes banning NHS staff from opposing genocide

Post author:Maddison Wheeldon
Post published:4 June 2026
Post last modified:9 June 2026

In an alleged attempt to prevent antisemitism, a new review conducted by the government’s independent adviser Lord Mann has made several recommendations to the NHS. This potential censorship attempt raises concerns about our personal freedoms, including people’s right to show support for Palestinians. For instance, one of those recommendations is to ban NHS staff from wearing ‘political’ badges such as those linked to pro-Palestinian advocacy. However, these badges are arguably not political, but an expression of basic humanity. They signal the wearer’s objection to mass killing and Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. That campaign has mutilated, murdered and maimed hundreds of…

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