A CANCER doctor is considering taking on a local Liberal Democrat or Conservative MP as part of his campaign to stop what he believes is the part-privatisation of the NHS.

It was reported yesterday that Dr Clive Peedell might take on Redcar MP Ian Swales, a Liberal Democrat, at the next general election.

And he revealed to The Northern Echo that he is also thinking about taking on his own North Yorkshire MP, William Hague, the Conservative foreign secretary.

Dr Peedell, 39, of Kirklington in North Yorkshire, is setting up a loose network of doctors, nurses and other public sector workers to campaign against the NHS reform bill and possibly other changes to public services.

He ran 42 miles from the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough to the Liberal Democrats’ conference in Gateshead last week to protest against the NHS bill, which is currently being considered in parliament.

Now Dr Peedell and nearly 250 other doctors, nurses and professors have signed a letter aimed at drumming up support for a campaign, outside of any political party, to oppose the bill. The signatories believe the NHS bill amounts to swathes of the NHS being privatised.

He said: “At this stage standing as a candidate is only a possibility. We’re in our infancy. We’re not a proper organisation at this stage, we’re really only an idea.

“There’s boundary reviews and Ian Swales’ seat might not even be there at the next election. William Hague’s majority is overwhelmingly huge. But for us it’s about raising awareness now, about putting pressure on the Government and trying to save the NHS and we’ve already had some successes.”

He said that despite 1,000 amendments to health secretary Andrew Lansley’s bill, the central idea of turning the NHS into “a competitive external market” had not been altered.

Mr Swales and Mr Hague could not be contacted for comment yesterday. However the Government disputes that the bill, which would give much more budgetary control to GPs, amounts to privatisation and stress the service would remain free at the point of use.