Ed Miliband has come under fire from Tony Blair supporters who say that the Labour leader is risking losing the election with his strategy.
Ed Miliband
Miliband is making the NHS the heart of his campaign to become the next UK prime minister when the country votes in less than a hundred days time. However, former health secretary Alan Milburn has called Miliband's campaign a 'pale imitation' of the 1992 campaign, which saw Labour lose to the conservatives.
Speaking in an interview on The World at One, on Radio 4, Milburn said: "You've got a pale imitation actually of the 1992 general election campaign. Maybe it will have the same outcome, I don't know.
"But it would be a fatal mistake for Labour to go into this election looking as though it is the party that would better resource the NHS but not necessarily put its foot to the floor when it comes to reforming it."
These comments from Milburn were supported by Lord Hutton of Furness also criticised the Labour leader, saying that he should not just focus on the NHS but also show how he is going to address problems with the UK economy.
Even with a hundred days to go until the UK public vote in the general election, the race for number ten really is hotting up as all of the parties are starting to try to win votes. Despite the criticism from former ministers, Miliband has continued to pledge his support for the NHS.
A speech in Salford say Miliband set out his plan to create 10,000 more nurse-training places at a cost of £160 million. The scheme is designed to cut the number of agency nurses that are currently being used by the NHS, which are a financial drain on the system.
The introduction of more nursing staff will be part of the Time to Care NHS fund, which will see an elected Labour party pump a further £2.5 billion in the system. The extra cash that will be reserved for the NHS will be raised through Labour's controversial plans to introduce a 'mansion tax.'
Hutton told the Guardian: "I do agree with Alan on all of this. It is really important Labour doesn't just have a policy that consists of just committing to spend more on the NHS without tackling some of the fundamental things that need to be fixed in the NHS - how it becomes efficient, how it can deliver better outcomes for patients. Alan was right to speak out and make clear that sorting the NHS is not just an issue about money. The NHS is going to need very significant reforms in the years ahead if it is going to continue to serve the public interest as best as it can."
Hutton continued: "Labour has got to talk about the economy and have a message about what it will do to keep the economy moving ahead. In part that's about the next five years but is also about defending our record in government."
However, the comments by Milburn and Hutton were not met well be for deputy Prime Minister Lord Prescott, who took to social media to hit out at the comments made by the pair. He said: "I see those Tory collaborators Milburn & Hutton are attacking Labour's brilliant NHS plan. Go back to advising Pepsi & the nuclear industry."
The NHS has been under major strain in the last couple of months and looks set to be a major battle ground when it comes to the general election.