During the Liberal Democrats’ conference, Daisy Cooper, the party’s deputy leader, recounted how the NHS saved her life. She also voiced her concerns for anyone going through a similar experience today, citing issues such as a lack of GP appointments, long waits for scans, and patients being left in hospital corridors in pain rather than wards. Cooper accused the previous Conservative government of bringing the NHS to its knees and called for change.
She went on to promise that the Liberal Democrats would work with the Labour government to address these issues, and if they didn’t see “the right level of ambition or urgency,” they would hold the government accountable. Cooper emphasized the need to continue campaigning to save the NHS and care for it like our lives depend on it because so many people’s lives truly do.
Cooper’s personal experience with Crohn’s disease was the catalyst for her speech. Her Crohn’s disease had become so aggressive that her weight dropped to seven stone, and she was warned by doctors that she had only four days left to live without major surgery. She stressed that while Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are forms of inflammatory bowel disease, they are lifelong, and there is no cure. These conditions affect around half a million people in the UK, with common symptoms including diarrhoea, stomach aches and blood in your poo.
Aside from discussing her experience with the NHS, Cooper also took time to celebrate the Liberal Democrats’ success in the July general election, when they won 72 seats, their highest tally since 1923. She noted that the party had been in “survival mode” not too long ago but now has more power in Parliament to push for improvements to health and social care, a top priority for the party. Sir Ed Davey, the party leader, stated that the government must “invest more in the NHS or accept continued decline,” with the party estimating that the NHS needs an additional £3.7bn a year in day-to-day spending and another £1.1bn a year for investment
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