Live Reporting
Edited by Jack Burgess and Jenna Moon
We 'don't want to take money from the poorest' - Streetingpublished at 09:08 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March
09:08 GMT 16 March
Laura asks Streeting: as a Labour politician, did you get into politics to take money from the poorest?
He says we don't want to take money from the poorest people in Britain, and adds he's a product of the welfare system. He says he grew up in a council house and says a state education gave him "every opportunity".
Streeting says that one in 10 people are off sick from work. He says people who can't work need support, and calls for more people to get back to work.
We're hearing now from Wes Streetingpublished at 09:06 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March
09:06 GMT 16 March
We're hearing from Health Secretary Wes Streeting.
He's likely to be asked about the government's recent decision to scrap NHS England, the advisory body that oversees the NHS, as well as the coming welfare cuts.
You can watch the show by clicking the watch live button at the top of this page.
Stay with us as we bring you the key lines from the interview.
Sunday with Laura K is moments awaypublished at 08:59 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March
08:59 GMT 16 March
We're moments away from this week's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.
For the government, we'll hear from Wes Streeting who'll no doubt have plenty to say on Keir Starmer's plans to get rid of NHS England.
We'll also get the Tories' response from shadow education secretary Laura Trott.
Also on the agenda is an interview with the Finnish president, who is expected to speak on Ukraine.
We'll keep you up to date with all the key news lines here - and you can watch along with us by tapping watch live at the top of the page
About 9,000 administrative roles will be cutpublished at 08:50 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March
08:50 GMT 16 March
The changes will not impact anyone's access to the NHS - it will still be free at the point of use and cover all the services it does already.
Around 9,000 administrative roles are being cut at NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care as part of the changes - amounting to roughly half of all roles at the two organisations.
In response to reporter questions on Thursday, Starmer said the job cuts did not signal a return to austerity.
What the NHS England change means for the rest of the UKpublished at 08:40 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March
08:40 GMT 16 March
Image source, ReutersIn short, nothing.
Health is devolved in the UK, meaning that while Westminster decides on what spending goes towards health, each nation - England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - is individually responsible for how that money is spent.
This announcement affects just the NHS in England and won’t impact how health services are delivered elsewhere in the UK.
How NHS England distributes fundingpublished at 08:33 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March
08:33 GMT 16 March
The announcement that NHS England is set to be shut will result in significant changes to how the NHS is run.
Since it was set up in 2012, the body has exercised a wide range of statutory functions, as well as regulatory powers. It also oversees the delivery of services to patients on the frontline.
Below, our visual journalism team's graphic shows the clear gap that will need to be filled by the Department of Health and Social Care when it assumes the roles now performed by NHS England.
What is a ‘quango’ - and how many are there?published at 08:28 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March
08:28 GMT 16 March
NHS England was abolished as part of the prime minister’s pledge to cut the cost of regulation and trim down on the number of "quangos" operating in the UK.
Quango stands for Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organisation. These are arm's-length bodies such as regulators and advisory groups, which are funded by taxpayers but not directly controlled by the government.
They range from huge organisations like NHS England to smaller ones like the British Film Institute.
Their numbers have fallen by more than half since 2010 - former Prime Minister David Cameron's coalition government abolished nearly 300 - but there are still more than 300 across the UK.
The Labour government has set up more than 20 since winning power last July, including Great British Energy and Skills England.
What Wes Streeting told the Commons about the government’s decision to scrap NHS Englandpublished at 08:22 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March
08:22 GMT 16 March
Image source, PA MediaOn Thursday, Streeting addressed the House of Commons, telling MPs that “the biggest quango in the world” was being abolished.
He said that a "number" of Conservatives told him in private they regret the "2012 reorganisation", adding that “none of them acted”.
He also told the Commons that NHS England would be brought entirely under the Department of Health over the next two years.
It’s expected that Streeting will address the Health and Social Care committee about the proposed changes before Easter. And while the health secretary has said that initial changes could be made without introducing primary legislation, a bill will need to be submitted that formalises the overhaul.
As a reminder, when we say“quango”, we’re referring to a Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organisation - taxpayer-funded advisory groups that aren’t directly controlled by the government.
Could Starmer be in for a benefits rebellion?published at 08:11 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March
08:11 GMT 16 March
Laura Kuenssberg
Presenter, Sunday with Laura KuenssbergImage source, PA MediaThe prime minister has just had another moment at the lectern,urging Europe to stand up for Ukraine.
He's an increasingly confident leader but in the coming days No 10 faces what could be a defining fight at home.
"Thereis a collision coming," a Labour insider tells me.
Sir Keir Starmer haslong been up for fights with his party. But with controversy around everycorner, who are the tribes in the party in 2025, and might they fight back?
Image source, ShutterstockThe party's history is crammed with bitter bust-ups, years when MPs seemed most comfortable to be fighting each other, rather than political rivals.
With a squeeze on benefits coming, there is unease on the back, and the front benches, including in cabinet.
The decision on winter fuel payments still causes resentment, and new plans for immigration coming in a white paper later in the spring are likely to be controversial too.
Who else is on this week's show?published at 07:58 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March
07:58 GMT 16 March
Image source, PA MediaAlso facing questions from Laura Kuenssberg this week are the Conservative Party's shadow education secretary Laura Trott, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, and Dan Reed, who is the director of a documentary following abuse allegations about Michael Jackson.
Appearing on this week’s panel will be Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna Reid, businessman Steve Rigby and the playwright James Graham.
We’ll be following comments from this week’s guests live in this page.
What does NHS England do?published at 07:54 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March
07:54 GMT 16 March
Image source, PA MediaNHS England is the administrative body which manages how health services up and down the country are run. It is made up primarily of managers and officials, not the doctors and nurses providing care in hospitals.
The government provides it with money and tells it what its priorities are for the health service - for example, that might be cutting waiting times or improving cancer survival rates.
NHS England's role is to funnel the money it is given into different parts of the health service and work out how to juggle resources in order to bring about the change the government wants to see.
- We've been answering your questions about how NHS England operates, and what this change means for the NHS more broadly. Find out more with our explainer
Health secretary faces questions about NHS overhaulpublished at 07:53 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March
07:53 GMT 16 March
Jenna Moon
Live editorImage source, PA MediaGood morning.
This morning on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, we’re expecting to hear from the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, and he’ll likely be grilled on what the decision to scrap a health advisory body will mean for England.
On Thursday, government announced that it is abolishing NHS England - an advisory body that oversees the NHS.
The move, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer argued at a Q&A event in Hull, is intended to reduce red tape. He said that the decision would bring the NHS back “into democratic control”.
As our political correspondent Henry Zeffman wrote during Starmer’s announcement, a reorganisation of NHS England has been a long time coming - but “there will be lots of questions to follow on how this will work in practice”.
While some Conservatives have supported the announcement, in the Commons on Thursday the shadow health secretary, Dr Caroline Johnson, questioned whether Labour was up to the job of reforming healthcare, pointing to the party's "failure" at managing the NHS in Wales.
We’ll be following the debate right here and you can watch live but pressing the button at the top of this page.
