Does Wes Streeting really have a shot at No 10? It depends if his reforms sink or save the NHS | Gaby Hinsliff

"If it isn't you, then it's probably your neighbour, your friend, your elderly parent; trapped in an anxious, miserable limbo for months longer than they should have been, getting passed from pillar to post. The only thing we don't all know about waiting lists, it turns out, is that actually they're coming down. Barely a quarter of Britons knew waiting lists had fallen in Labour's first year in power, according to recent polling for the Health Foundation thinktank in September:"

"But then someone close to Keir Starmer chose to accuse the health secretary of plotting a coup two days before a planned speech on NHS reform, accidentally ensuring that Wes Streeting's pre-booked stint on breakfast telly was mostly spent debating whether the prime minister is toast or not. Streeting emerged a picture of injured innocence, while reminding everyone how much better he is at this stuff than the boss."

"This week, Streeting finally gave the green light for axing about 18,000 backroom NHS jobs, in a reorganisation that is ultimately supposed to save 1bn a year to be spent on frontline care, but will cost at least that to implement upfront. Nobody wants to hear that they may be losing their job just before Christmas, and the last thing a Labour government wants is to be the one responsible, yet in some respects that was the easy bit."

Waiting lists are actually falling, though most Britons remain unaware and many believe they are still rising. A planned government announcement about falling waiting lists was overshadowed by a leaked accusation that the health secretary plotted a coup, shifting public attention onto party infighting. The health secretary approved cutting about 18,000 back-office NHS positions to free about £1bn annually for frontline care, while the reorganisation requires at least £1bn in upfront implementation costs. Job losses shortly before Christmas are unpopular and politically risky. The reform is high-stakes and, if successful, could become a template for rebuilding NHS services.

Read at www.theguardian.com