A GP is set to challenge the heath secretary’s seat at the next general election as a candidate for the National Health Action (NHA) party.
Lewisham GP Dr Louise Irvine, who chaired the successful ‘Save Lewisham Hospital’ campaign which overturned the decision to close the local A&E, will challenge the South West Surrey seat next year.
Two other GP swill be standing for the NHA Party – retired Maidstone GP Dr Paul Hobday, and Dr Bob Gill, also from Kent.
The party says it is aiming to reverse the role of private health organisations in the NHS and halt the denigration and disinvestment in the NHS where ‘professional bodies, media and opposition parties’ have failed.
Dr Irvine said: ‘I’ve faced Jeremy Hunt in the courts – and beaten him twice. Now I’ll face him at the ballot box.’
Dr Gill said: ‘The privatisation agenda is shared by all mainstream parties… The last thing on my mind was getting into politics but given the track record of our elected representatives the decision was made easier.
Dr Irvine was recently voted number 28 in Pulse’s Power 50 list of the UK’s most influential GPs and has previously stood as a National Health Action Party candidate for the European parliament, winning 23,000 votes.
