He added that he thinks it is even possible to ‘seriously derail’ the contentious bill, if the public’s vocal opposition is strong enough.
The Labour MP Andy Burnham said he believes that if the bill goes through in its current state, the health service will ‘never be the same again’.
He spoke of his disappointed that a bid for sections of the bill to go to a special committee for scrutiny wasn’t voted through by the Lords, but is confident there will still be changes.
‘I thought we would see more opposition from the Lib Dems in the Lords and it disappoints me a great deal but I’m not surprised,’ he said.
‘I think we are now seeing the beginning of the battle in the House of Lords and the bill will be fought line-by-line and clause-by-clause.
‘There are some major questions that are to be debated and I think we will see amendments.
‘I think we could still seriously derail the bill if the country makes it clear that they want the bill stopped.’
Mr Burnham believes the timing of the bill is a major issue and that it should not have been put forward at a time when ‘the big challenge facing the NHS is the financial challenge’.
Earlier this month, the amendment tabled by Lords Owen and Hennessey, which called for parts of the bill to be sent for further scrutiny, was voted down.
The RCM had voiced support for the amendment, which Sean O'Sullivan, the RCM’s head of policy, said was an ‘opportunity to subject the bill to much-needed scrutiny’.
He added that the RCM will ‘continue to lobby the Lords to secure substantial improvements to the bill’.
The government says the bill is vital to help the NHS cope with the demands of an ageing population, the costs of new drugs and treatments and the impact of lifestyle factors, such as obesity.
The bill will now go into committee where stage every clause has to be agreed by peers.
All proposed amendments can be discussed and there is no time limit on the length of discussion.
An interview with Andy Burnham is published in issue 7 of
Midwives, out in November, video clips of which will be posted on the
RCM website.
