Keir Starmer on Welsh NHS reform, Tata deal and Welsh Labour turmoil

• Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to ITV Cymru Wales political editor Adrian Masters.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the Welsh NHS will have to reform to become "fit for the future", including looking at involving the private sector where that will help bring waiting lists down.

Welsh Labour, which has led successive Welsh Governments for the last 25 years, has been opposed to using private firms.

In an interview with ITV Cymru Wales, Sir Keir said it is his “strong view” that any extra money for the NHS has to come along with reform.

Asked if the Welsh NHS needs the same sort of shake-up as in England, he said: "That would be my strong view, because I think that that investment and reform need to go together."

Would that mean a greater use of private healthcare to try to deal with backlogs? The UK Government's health secretary, Wes Streeting, has said he is willing to use the private sector in a “pragmatic” way to bring down waiting lists in England.

However, over the years Welsh Labour has taken a different view, promising in its 2011 manifesto to “eliminate the use of private sector hospitals in Wales".

We asked Sir Keir about the apparent contradiction, to which he said: "The principle that the NHS is a publicly-funded service free at the point of use is absolutely key to me and we’re not going to alter that.

"But on occasions using the private sector to get down waiting lists? Yes, that's been going on a long time. We will do that to get waiting lists down.

"But the most important thing is that I think reform is hugely important for the health service wherever people, whether it's Wales or in England. And I think if we share and collaborate on that, we can ensure the health services, you know, not only as it were, back on its feet, but fit for the future.”

In the interview, he refused to comment on Welsh Labour’s year of turmoil which has seen three different leaders elected.

Pointing to his "good relationship" with First Minister Eluned Morgan, he said: "My job is to work with her to deliver for Wales. And that's really where I'm focused. And I know that people across Wales, they want to know 'do you get it?' and 'are we going to see stronger, securer jobs, lower energy bills?' And the answer is yes.”

Asked if he was worried that the first Black First Minister, Vaughan Gething, had been forced out after just four months, he said: “I'm the prime minister of the United Kingdom and I wanted to make sure my relationship with the first minister (Eluned Morgan) was the right relationship so we could collaborate with each other.

“That's why when I spoke to her, we went to look at what we could do with renewable energy together, because I think that's in a sense, I'd rather do the hard graft of sleeves rolled up than to provide a running commentary on politics in Wales.”

The prime minister also defended his government’s deal with Tata Steel.

When we put it to him that the £500million deal was exactly the same as that reached by the Conservatives, he said: "The guarantees in relation to the money in the future are stronger than they were.

"I am worried. I've always been worried about the situation as you know from previous discussions. But I think we've put the best deal in place that we could have put in place."

But it will still mean redundancies?

"Yes, but obviously no compulsory redundancies and the best deal that we could put in place.

“I didn't really want to be in this position. I was saying before the election that decisions shouldn't be taken until after the election and some of them were.

“But I can't be moaning about the previous administration and the mess they left us because they did. The thing now to do is to make sure that we deliver on the future in relation to the future of steel production in Wales. And that's important part of the work that we've done.”

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