FORMER health supremo Alan Milburn has snubbed a request from Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, to be a candidate to become chair of the new NHS Commissioning Board.

The former Darlington Labour MP, who was Health Secretary between 1999 and 2003, was personally invited by Mr Lansley to put his name forward for the influential new post.

The NHS Commissioning Board will play a key role in overseeing the controversial Health Service reforms Mr Lansley is introducing over the next two years.

It is not known why Mr Milburn turned down his Conservative successors offer but the Health Service Journal - which broke the story - has reported that Mr Milburn did express significant concern about Mr Lansley's health reforms at the recent Nuffield Trust summit meeting.

While Mr Milburn said that some elements of the coalition Government's plans for the NHS were instantly recognisable as a continuation of the policies he introduced, he claimed that he was mystified by the way in which the Government had presented its reforms.

Last year Mr Milburn surprised some Labour figures by agreeing to be an advisor to the coalition Government on social mobility.

The Health Service Journal quoted senior sources close to the reform process that Mr Milburn may have rejected Mr Lansley's invitation because the political row likely to be triggered by such a move was too great a risk considering the uncertain outcome of the selection process.

Mr Milburn was associated with far left politics during his early political career but has moved steadily towards the centre ground.

His decision to become social mobility tsar underlined his concerns that Britain is becoming an increasingly socially divided country.

Mr Milburn came from a disadvantaged North-East background and rose to become a senior Cabinet Minister in the Tony Blair Government.

Last week Dr Mark Porter, chairman of the British Medical Association, warned that the Government's reforms could turn the Health Service into an increasingly tattered safety net.

Dr Porter said the Government wanted to turn the clock back to the 1930s and 1940s when there were private, charitable and co-operative providers of healthcare.