Luke Murphy says he will keep pushing for a new hospital but warns the previous government’s “never realistic” pledge left it delayed and only “one part” of fixing local healthcare. Luke Murphy outside Basingstoke HospitalMr Murphy said the previous government’s pledge to deliver 40 new hospitals by 2030 was never credible. He linked this to the government’s social care reform plans, saying better GP access and social care investment would ease pressure on hospital wards. “We help the hospital by fixing GP services, and we help the hospital by fixing social care,” he said. A 2024 consultation found that 52 per cent of residents favoured a specialist acute hospital at Junction 7 rather than the current hospital site.