Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has hit back at Labour critics of the Government's Health and Social Care Bill, accusing them of "jumping on the bandwagon of opposition".

"Any reform of something as important as the NHS will cause controversy. Trade unions like the BMA opposed the very creation of the NHS. Labour used to support reform but now they are jumping on the bandwagon of opposition in order to please their trade union masters."

"Mr Lansley said the proposed reforms were vital to sustain a functioning NHS.

"The NHS faces unprecedented challenges from our ageing population and new more expensive treatments. Our plans to improve the NHS are essential if it is to be sustainable for the future.

"Doctors and nurses across the country support the core principles behind the reforms - giving more power to clinicians to design services for patients, getting patients the information they need to make proper choices and promoting democratic accountability with councils leading health improvement."

Mr Lansley's comments came after Andy Burnham hit out at the Government earlier today saying the Health & Social Care Bill would be “the end of NHS as we know it.”

Speaking on Sky's Murnaghan Show, the Shadow Health Secretary critised the Bill, explaining that it would put the “NHS at great risk”.

He added: “The NHS still represents something special to people in this country. It’s one area of national life where people truly come before profits. If this Bill goes through, I don’t think that’ll be the case any longer.”

However, Health Minister Simon Burns argued against those who critised the Bill, saying they were “basically trade unions and organisations that are out of touch with many of their members."

He added: “It would be irresponsible to ditch it, because the NHS has got to evolve, because of the challenges that is facing it, with an aging population, a drugs bill that increased last year by £600m, and by the developments in medical science. We must move forward to make sure that the NHS can cope.”
Discussions were sparked from Labour leader Ed Miliband, who has also spoke out about the Bill.

Writing in the Observer, Mr Miliband said the Bill was a "leap in the dark" that would impose a "free market free-for-all" on the NHS. He argued the worst option would be to press on with the Bill simply to save face and has called for a three-month cross-party campaign to kill off the Health & Social Care Bill.

Earlier this morning Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron critised both parties and added that this was not a Bill that the Liberal Democrats would have introduced if they had been in power on their own.

He added: "What we've done is to prevent the worst excesses, to stop the emphasis on competition and put the emphasis on quality. I guess my largest complaint is that it has taken 12 months and it has taken people's eye off the ball when it comes to delivering health care at the chalk face."