Plans for a new Watford General remain mired in uncertainty after the Chancellor announced a "complete review" of the 40 hospitals scheme. 

Labour's Rachel Reeves confirmed swathes of spending cuts in a statement this afternoon (July 29) - blaming a "black hole" in the public finances.

Among schemes in the government's crosshairs is the hospitals project, which Mrs Reeves said the previous Conservative government had been promising "without anywhere close to the funding required to deliver them".

She said there will be a "complete review" of the scheme before a realistic time frame is confirmed.

Uncertainty had been growing after health secretary Wes Streeting recently described the previous government's promise of 40 hospitals by 2030 as a "cynical ploy" to give people "false hope".

It also follows the borough council requesting formal confirmation from the government that the Watford General rebuild will proceed as planned.

Some had previously claimed that the money had been "secured" after former Health Secretary Steve Barclay promised a "fully funded" hospital in Parliament in May 2023. But critics claimed this was premature as no date had been set for it to be received and the total amount allocated was subject to Treasury approval.

Watford mayor Peter Taylor said: "The new government has announced today another review of plans to build 40 new hospitals, including new facilities at Watford General.

"We need a new hospital not another review. During the recent general election campaign the current Secretary of State for Health assured us that this would be delivered."

He continued: "We’ve had endless discussions and this new hospital is long overdue.

It’s time to start building the new hospital we’ve been promised, not to start yet another review. Patients and staff have waited long enough!"

Watford's Labour MP Matt Turmaine said: "Undeniably the government has inherited a complete mess - a £22 billion black hole funding gap.

"I was shocked when I asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer where the £1.2 billion of funding the previous government claimed it had allocated was, only to be informed that it was simply never there.  

"It appears the Conservatives made a worthless and cynical promise to our town based on fiction and wishful thinking.

"I will be fighting Watford's corner during the review in order to get a proper timeframe for delivery."

Stephen Woodard, chairman of the Watford Conservatives, said: "The Labour government's decision, supported by the new Labour MP, is an utter betrayal of Watford and West Herts residents and NHS staff. Our former Conservative MP Dean Russell secured funding for the new Watford General hospital through his relentless hard work. Any attempt to claim otherwise is quite frankly politics at its worst. 

"Dean raised concerns that Labour would delay the new hospital based on Labour’s own pre-election documentation. At the time Dean was dismissed by the new Labour MP during hustings, in leaflets and by claims in this newspaper. The decision today reveals the new MP either showed blatant dishonesty or shameful naivety. Labour knew exactly what finances they were inheriting with access to OBR data, this announcement today is transparently setting the stage for tax increases."

He continued: "This decision shows the new Labour MP's failure to stand up for residents and perhaps more so, shows the government's massive majority means they have no regard for their own MPs constituencies too. This was the first real test for Labour’s new MP to stand up for Watford and he has failed.”