THE National Health Service will be one of the key battlegrounds during this year’s General Election.

Indeed, the NHS has been a political football since its inception in 1948.

Yet every leader of every major political party since then has attempted to persuade the voting public that the NHS is safe in their hands.

It is one of this country’s defining institutions – a health service that is free at the point of use – and remains the envy of many nations across the world.

It has its problems, but we doubt there are many people in Britain who would want to be without the National Health Service.

We fully support, therefore, the campaign to mark the 70th anniversary of the NHS in 2018 by putting Aneurin Bevan’s face on £20 banknotes.

As health secretary in the post-war Labour government, Aneurin Bevan was the founder of the NHS.

He once memorably said: “No society can legitimately call itself civilised if a sick person is denied medical aid because of lack of means.”

The campaign to see Mr Bevan, who was born in Tredegar and represented Ebbw Vale in the House of Commons for more than 30 years, on £20 notes has been backed by thousands of people.

It would be a fitting tribute to both Mr Bevan and to our free health service.