SHADOW minister Andrew Lansley has pledged to try to halt the transfer of hospital services from Welwyn Garden City to Stevenage if the Conservatives win power.
Mr Lansley visited Welwyn Hatfield this week to discuss with MP Grant Shapps the QEII Hospital, which is progressively losing services to Stevenage's Lister.
He said: "People can't understand why Labour is slashing the A and E and maternity units when the Welwyn Hatfield population is growing fast.
“Grant has told me about the daily congestion along the A1(M) on the way to the Lister Hospital in Stevenage.
"The last thing we want is babies born by the side of the motorway or emergency cases travelling further than necessary.
"That's why I've said that we would like to see some form of A&E and Maternity retained at the QE2."
Although the concentration of emergency services at the Lister was strongly backed by medical professionals, Mr Shapps describes it as "gerrymandering for political ends".
He highlights that Watford and Stevenage, the only two Hertfordshire towns where hospitals are expanding, are both held by Labour.
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