NHS bill clause put on hold to stave off revolt by Liberal Democrat peers

NHS bill clause put on hold to stave off revolt by Liberal Democrat peers:

Vote over key issue of political control over NHS will not be resolved until January at earliest to avoid a Lords rebellion

The government has "paused" a key part of its NHS bill to stave off an embarrassing rebellion from key Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords – a move that ensures peers will now debate the controversial legislation until Christmas.

At the heart of the debate is the government's plan to hand over its "constitutional responsibility" to provide NHS services to a quango. But a number of Lib Dem peers, led by Lady Williams, had insisted the health secretary should be responsible for the provision of health services. The Guardian.