The most satisfying element of this election is that all parties want to increase public service spending - the arguments are confined to whether their programmes add up. But yesterday the prime minister repeated his message that record amounts of new money were not enough. Few would oppose that. What was missing yesterday was any mention of the private sector's role in this vision. Other reports have suggested half the 20 new fast-track surgery units planned for the NHS would be managed and owned by the private sector.
Much more clarification is needed.
Labour is contemplating a complete change with the past. These deals have sensibly been done for years. But now, at the very minimum, private providers are being invited into the heart of the NHS to manage units. The history of private sector managers moving into the NHS is an unhappy one. The two most famous names both left, shocked by the public scrutiny.