Andy Burnham MP, Labour's Shadow Health Secretary, said in response to Andrew Lansley's article on competition in the NHS:

"18 months after their White Paper, and under pressure form all sides, David Cameron and Andrew Lansley are finally revealing their true colours.

"The main aim of their Bill is not to introduce GP-led commissioning, as that could easily be delivered through existing NHS structures. This article reveals their real agenda for the NHS - to turn it from a national, collaborative health service into a competitive, market-based system. That is the reason they need a 364-page Bill and a new legal framework.

"So at last we are getting to the crux of the argument about this Bill.

"As the Health Secretary acknowledges in his article, the Bill represents a clear break with NHS history and a move away from a national 'centrally-planned' service. But he and Mr Cameron have two problems.

"First, people have not given their permission for such a fundamental change to the NHS. In fact, Mr Cameron said there would be no such change. He did not talk at the election about his desire to see the NHS turned into a free market in healthcare.

"Second, all of the evidence shows that the NHS model is one of - if not the - most efficient healthcare systems in the world. It isn't broken but instead is proven as a successful model that combines fairness, quality and control of costs. Evidence from around the world suggests market-based health systems of the kind Mr Cameron and Mr Lansley want are less efficient than the NHS and cost more not less.

"One by one, the Prime Minister's arguments in favour of his re-organisation are collapsing. Today the Lancet has shown that far from falling, NHS productivity increased in the last decade. David Cameron is losing the argument. It is time for him to swallow his pride, listen to what people are saying and drop this dangerous Bill."