WATCH: Boris Johnson confronted by father of sick child over hospital waiting times
2 min read
Boris Johnson has been confronted by an angry father who accused the Tories of "destroying" the NHS as he toured a London hospital.
The man, whose daughter was a patient at Whipps Cross University Hospital, told the Prime Minister she had "nearly died" before condemning waiting times in A&E as "not acceptable".
He attacked the Government for “years and years and years of the NHS being destroyed”, adding: “There are not enough people on this ward, there are not enough doctors, not enough nurses, it’s not well organised enough.
“The NHS has been destroyed and now you’ve come here for a press opportunity.”
Mr Johnson responded by denying there were press at the event, however the man shot back while pointing to the media cameras: “What do you mean there's no press here, who are these people?”
The PM said his visit was instead to find out how ministers can “refurbish” the hospital, before the man again replied: “Well that’s not going to fix things, it’s a bit late isn’t it? Years and years and years of the NHS being destroyed.”
Mr Johnson's spokesperson said the man was understandably "very distressed" and that the PM was "not going to hide away from those circumstances when he goes on these visits, and so obviously is keen to talk to people and empathise and see what he can do to help".
"It's also a reminder of why exactly he is so keen to make the NHS a priority and make sure it's getting the funding that it requires," they added.
Shadow Health Secretary, Jon Ashworth, said: “Boris Johnson simply can't be honest with people.
“He can make as many phoney announcements on the NHS as he likes but he can't hide from the truth, or from patients.
“The Tories have plunged the health service into crisis through years of cuts and privatisation and the Prime Minister can't run from the consequences this has had for patient care.”
It comes after Mr Johnson was told to "get back to Parliament" by a heckler as he delivered a speech in Yorkshire last week, having been confronted by angry members of the public as he did a walkabout.
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