Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has called on Labour's Keir Starmer to abandon plans to delay NHS investment and to instead use new taxes on banks and the wealthy to inject almost £5 billion annually into the struggling health service.

Speaking at the Lib Dem conference in Brighton, Davey emphasized that the budget must prioritize the NHS to address its critical condition.

The Lib Dems advocate for a £3.7 billion increase in day-to-day NHS spending and an additional £1.1 billion annually in hospital capital investment, funded by adjustments to capital gains tax and restoring bank surcharge revenues to 2016 levels.

Davey criticized the government’s approach of reform before investment and warned that immediate funding is crucial for the NHS's survival.