Norwich councillor and Labour’s candidate for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, Peter Prinsley, has made a lot of his working for the NHS in the campaign so far. An “NHS doctor” working as a surgeon at two Norfolk hospitals, his promotional material says: “I am an NHS doctor with a sense of social responsibility and fairness. My father was an NHS doctor and my son is an NHS doctor. We are an NHS Labour family.” He’s certainly made the point – one in every ten words there is “NHS”…

What hasn’t made it onto Prinsley’s campaign material is his extensive private work at a third location – Spire Norwich Hospital. Every Friday Prinsley runs a clinic for private patients with cash to spend on treatment. What would Starmer say?

Spire Healthcare made a tidy £1.4 billion in revenue last year. Interestingly Prinsley complained some years ago to The Times that private providers “pick away at those aspects of elective care likely to generate a profit” and damage the NHS. Presumably he will change position again once his payroll is covered fully by the taxpayer in the Commons…