Editorial Wednesday 3 October 2012: A first glimpse of Huntism: Mick Hucknell redux

We might be getting our first glimpse of Huntism in this interview for Tory in-flight magazine The Spectator.

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Click here for details of 'Lansleyshambles - game over, as Jeremy ‘Bellflnger’ Hunt does the reconfiguration hokey-cokey', the new issue of subscription-based Health Policy Intelligence.

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Burn my mission!
The People's Jeremy apparently tells James Forsyth that his "burning mission" is to "demonstrate that we have as much to offer the NHS as Labour ever did".

Ahem.

Forsyth then chases The Bellflinger on whether he sees the NHS budget ringfence as immutably sacrosanct: Hunt's reported reply is of interest.

"I don’t think it’s possible to make a prediction because there is so much uncertainty in the economic outlook and no one knows what is going to happen with the eurozone."

Forsyth purtsues this like any good hack should: "When I push him on this apparent break with his predecessor, Hunt panics a little, and emphasises "how passionately committed David Cameron is to protecting the NHS budget for the very reasons that Andrew laid out". He says: "I completely support that and I think that that would certainly be my instinct and David Cameron’s instinct coming to the next election". However, Hunt admits: "We would also have to have a look at the economic situation. It is something that is very, very difficult to predict"."

Waiting for Dilnot, Part 9,005
Social care funding gets its moment as well: Hunt bids that "there are other versions that might not be quite so expensive. As we come to the next spending round, which we are going to have before the next election, we are looking very hard to see if there is any way at all that we could deliver on the core principles of Dilnot".

Mmmm.

Jeremy Hunt is the new Mick Hucknell, and I claim my five pounds.