Andy Burnham MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, responding to a report by Monitor, said:

“This will send a shiver down many a spine. It confirms the suspicion many people have that David Cameron is softening up the NHS for privatisation.

“Evidence from around the world tells us that market systems cost money, not save money. This is the wrong route to a more efficient NHS.

“This is the Government’s hidden NHS agenda that Ministers don’t dare admit. It is this market madness that has got to go.“