That article is from 2023, when the Tories were in power
Perhaps @Porridge should have checked more carefully after all.
Itās currently (Feb 2026) 39,086, up 763 on Feb 2025
But Porridge, dear boy, you undermine your own credibility with such slapdash work. 
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Yes according to the Nuffield Trust, but with some caveats.
Thanks for this Billy, I was prepared to admit Iād misread stuff from the Nuffield Trust, but I re- read it to check, and it was what they quoted.
Letās have a bit of context, shall we, before we all jump in?
I said
Arcalia disagreed:
It was a claim with no explicit context, but it seems reasonable - given what arcalia was replying to - to interpret it as a claim about Starmerās record.
So youāre absolutely right that the article I quoted was about Tory claims (I hadnāt spotted the date!). These are, however, relevant, because of the statistics here (the NT source presumably referred to earlier):
If you look at the graph, you can see that the September 2024 GP figure was 28,041 (Iām not using the June one because I donāt believe even John or Billy would have the chutzpah to claim Starmer achieved stuff even before he was elected 
). The latest is 29,820.
(The nadir was June 2023: 27,210.)
But hereās the point: it takes at least nine years to become a GP (How To Become A GP in the UK: A Step-by-Step Guide | BMJ Careers).
Therefore (and showing my working )
Labour canāt claim credit for āmore GPsā until at least 2024 + 9 = 2033. The extra GPs currently qualified are thanks to Conservative and/or Con coalition government.
Never believe a whole number, always a lie.
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Especially the strange fascination of 2,000!
Thatās a bit of a fallacy as there are many routes to bring GPs into the workplace other than just train new ones. I havenāt looked into it at all but early retirees could be encouraged back to work, visas could be issued to immigrants, etc etc
Or 2001. An excellent film.
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Iām not sure why not, you seem to be quite happy to pin Tory failures on him.
Not at all. Iāve said how much I admired Starmer in opposition.
But - as you would say 
- I have a very comfortable armchair!
So the king gives his speech and says his government will continue to implement a digital ID.
FFS Starmer you are already massively un popular stop digging. Ok so its that pr1ck B liar behing it but really.
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Is your problem with having ID or it being digital? Iām happy to carry a French CdS.
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For me, itās the digital aspect. Itās unnecessary (as you say, the French manage it with a card) and it provides a handy digital tracker to the government. Which already has the NHS app ā on our phones.
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The digital, all eggs in one basket so to speak. The French just suffered a huge hacking.
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Dare I say āso whatā? I love the fact that France adopts joined up, all in one basket stuff. My Carte Vitale I think is brilliant and I wish there was the same in the UK.
Many Drās are trained abroad, not in the UK, about 55% I believe. The UK is still an attractive place to work for those trained overseas, so you donāt have to wait 9 years.
My point I believe is still valid, and that is that Labour have achieved more than the media credit them with.
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One of the things that I loved about returning to the UK at the weekend was that I could go out and not have to carry any kind of ID with me. The sense of lightness was quite palpable, and in France it feels like a constant worry has been added.
Of course, this is only a discussion.
With everything in one place digitally, (not sure how much data the french place in the digital realm) but your medical records, your NI number and many others parts if hacked as France has been, could mean a completely new ID would be needed. Your name, date of birth, Ni number, your pension all available and probable more I have missed out and for whoās benefit? Your entire life digitally recorded, a dystopian existance. Just as Planitir are now able to access all the UKās medical files on you in the USA, not even kept within the boudaries of our own country. T Bliar benefiting to the tune of 200 million and 250 million from Larry Ellis. Contracts worth a combined 300 billion to the US tech giants for selling us out, disgusting.
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