'If MPs really care about the elderly, they should back hospices, not assisted dying'

Our captious hospices look an intolerable £30million measure nether the hike successful National Insurance contributions, and Mirror columnist Paul Routledge says the Government indispensable urgently reassess its priorities erstwhile it comes to end-of-life care

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has a batch connected his plate. He besides has thing connected his conscience.

His household benefited from enactment for the terminally ill, but his authorities has dumped a immense taxation load connected foundation attraction providers.

“I cannot praise the hospice question enough,” helium declares. “I privation to spot much of that end-of-life attraction available.”

Yet past month’s Budget has thrown the question into adjacent greater turmoil. The large hike successful employer’s National Insurance contributions is the past straw.

Hospices employment astir 40,000 people, and the measure for Robbin’ Rachel’s taxation raid volition beryllium £30million a twelvemonth if unit are not exempted.

Vital attraction providers were already successful superior fiscal difficulties, facing a £60million shortage adjacent year, and relying connected charity shop receipts to support going.

Belatedly, and nether unit from the media, Santa Streeting 2 days agone promised to alteration the Government’s assistance – with an announcement earlier Christmas, it cannot travel soon enough.

With nary backing warrant successful spot for 2025, immoderate of the 200-plus hospices are closing services and making unit redundant.

The Government’s perilous shilly-shallying comes conscionable arsenic MPs statement the Assisted Dying Bill which, if implemented, volition propulsion an adjacent greater load connected the charity.

Like galore others, I reason this extremist measurement connected motivation grounds. The archetypal work of doctors is “do nary harm” and I instrumentality that literally.

Wise young Wes besides opposes the Bill, due to the fact that helium knows that palliative attraction for the terminally-ill is woefully inadequate.

If they genuinely attraction astir those whose lives are drafting to a close, MPs indispensable code the situation successful our hospices.

Immediate assistance is needed for the coming year, with exemption from the NI hit, followed by a semipermanent look for backing successful the outpouring spending review.

Help for hospices, not a assistance into an aboriginal grave.

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Pin-up presenter Gary Lineker is leaving his £1.3million-plus occupation with the BBC. But not earlier helium trousers adjacent much fronting sum of the 2026 World Cup. His grotesque wage insults millions of over-75s deprived of their escaped TV licences by Beeb bosses. And his departure demands a extremist rethink of the corporation’s lavish indulgence of alleged “talent” astatine the disbursal of hard-pressed licence payers.