Doctors in Distress

Well, a partial victory for everybody except the Tories and their Lib Dem homunculi: a temporary suspension of the Health Bill and a massive amount of embarrassment for the government.

Andrew Lansley, the health secretary, has confirmed that the government will temporarily shelve the health bill. In a statement to the Commons, he said ministers would use the break "to pause, to listen and to engage with all those who want the NHS to succeed". There will be changes to the bill, he said. But he provided no detail as to what these amendments might be. Asked how long the new consultation period would last, he said "during the recess and beyond". At least one Labour MP urged Lansley to resign and at times Lansley appeared severely rattled. Labour's John Healey said Lansley was no longer in charge of health policy. David Cameron would decide what happened next, Healey suggested.

This is what the NHS should be, from the hilarious Doctor In The House series:



Unfortunately, the series rapidly declined as the makers struggled to cope with the advent of the jet age and the swinging 60s…