Rishi Sunak has promised to protect an NHS free at the point of use, after it emerged that Scottish health leaders had discussed asking wealthy patients to pay for care.

The prime minister told the CBI: “We also need to create a culture of innovation in our public services. I grew up in an NHS family — it’s in my blood. And as your prime minister, I will always protect an NHS free at the point of use.”

His comments came after the leak of minutes from an NHS Scotland meeting, which revealed a discussion about designing “a two-tier system where the people who can afford to go private”. They summarise “themes, issues and ideas” during 45 minutes of discussions about “what a transformed