Editorial Thurssday 6 October 2011: John Healey quits as health shadow to spend more time with family

Paul Waugh of Politics Homebreaks the exclusive that Labour's shadow health spokesman John Healey tendered his resignation to party leader Ed Miliband last week.

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Healey is doing a Milburn and leaving to spend more time with his family - but this time there are no ugly rumours (not wanting to namecheck Tony Blair's band or anything) as to the actual motivation.

Labour had three tasks at health while newly in opposition: to show pride in Labour’s achievements in office; to attack on the Health Bill; and to hint what Labour’s emerging health policy looks like. Healey did good work in these areas.

He is not a pyrotechnic performer in the Commons, but he understood the brief well enough to offer coherent critique by the second reading.

Anyone would suffer by comparison with Andrew Lansley's impressive micro-level understanding of NHS operational detail: Healey did much unseen work with other organisations, that will serve his successor well.