Brecon and Radnorshire MP Jane Dodds has defended not backing a motion to protect the NHS from privatisation.

The Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader said that it was not simply about preventing privatisation but about the "ideological restructuring of our health services".

Labour's parliamentary candidate for Brecon and Radnorshire, Tom Davies, had criticised her for abstaining on the vote. He said that it proves that she "can’t be trusted with our NHS".

In the vote, which took place on Wednesday, October 24, all 19 Liberal Democrat MPs abstained. Labour was joined by the SNP, Plaid Cymru and the Green Party in backing the move, but the Conservatives voted against it and the bid lost by 310 votes to 282 votes.

The motion put forward by the Labour Party was to add to the Queen's Speech that the Health and Social Care Act 2012 should be abolished to "restore a publicly provided and administered National Health Service".

However, it is not the case that abolishing the act would in itself stop all privatisation of the NHS, and even if it did pass, the government would not have been required to scrap it.

Health is also devolved in Wales: politicians in the Welsh Assembly and not in Westminster decide how the NHS is run. However, people in Powys access services across the border and some provisions in the 2012 act are relevant to Wales.

The Queen's Speech is written by the Government and lists the legislation which the government plans to introduce to parliament.

Ms Dodds said: "If the vote had been on a simple motion opposing the privatisation of the NHS, I would have supported it. However, the main thrust of Labour's motion was a bid to repeal the Health and Social Care Act 2012, without a recommendation on what should replace it. This is why my Liberal Democrat colleagues and I abstained.

"Repealing the Health and Social Care Act would be deeply disruptive for NHS staff and patients, and it would cost the taxpayer billions. This money should be spent on reducing waiting times and improving our struggling mental health services, not on Jeremy Corbyn’s ideological reorganisation.

"Our NHS is incredibly important, and at a time when our health service is under massive threat from Brexit it is important that political parties act with great care."