Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he’s scrapping NHS England, the arms-length body that oversees the bulk of the UK’s public health care system, as he sought to give ministers greater control over £200 billion ($259 billion) of annual government spending.

Sir Keir Starmer has announced the abolition of NHS England in a move he said would slash bureaucracy, save money and bring management of the health system “back into democratic control”. The UK prime minister said the abolition of the body would put the NHS “back at the heart of government” and free it to “focus on patients” and cut waiting lists.

The government said it expected around 50% of jobs at NHS England, which currently employs 15,300 staff, to be cut. In a speech in Hull, Sir Keir said for too long politicians had "chosen to hide behind vast arrays of quangos" - organisations funded by taxpayers but not directly controlled by the government.