People tore Johnson’s meaningless NHS election promises apart. It’s the pick-me-up we all need.

Boris Johnson at Whipps Cross University Hospital
Afroze Fatima Zaidi


On 9 November, Boris Johnson tweeted an election promise that “there will be 6,000 more doctors” in the NHS if the Conservatives remain in power.

However, he probably didn’t anticipate the backlash that revealing this ‘policy’ would spark.

Empty promises

Doctors were swift to tear Johnson’s ‘promises’ apart:

Others were quick to point out how unrealistic this pledge from Johnson really is, particularly given how long it takes to train GPs:

Some, meanwhile, haven’t forgotten previous, similar pledges on which the Tories never followed through:

‘Leaky bucket’

Moreover, the Conservatives still continue to ignore the systemic issues their policies have caused within the NHS:

After a decade of Tory austerity, the damage caused to the NHS has turned it into a ‘leaky bucket’. Until the gaps are all filled, temporary fixes won’t work:

Save our NHS

Many people have had quite enough of the decimation of the NHS under the current government:

It’s important to remember that this isn’t a single-issue election. While people may have varied views on Brexit, implementing changes to rebuild the NHS is something most people can get behind:

Johnson’s ongoing hospital PR visits haven’t been going so well. What’s more, NHS staff have recently been instructed not to share political opinions in the pre-election period. The Tories are obviously doing their best to silence criticism of the damage they’ve caused to the NHS. But it won’t be enough to fool the thousands of people who have been directly affected by debilitating cuts to their local hospitals and GP surgeries.

Featured image via YouTube/Guardian News

We need your help ...

The coronavirus pandemic is changing our world, fast. And we will do all we can to keep bringing you news and analysis throughout. But we are worried about maintaining enough income to pay our staff and minimal overheads.

Now, more than ever, we need a vibrant, independent media that holds the government to account and calls it out when it puts vested economic interests above human lives. We need a media that shows solidarity with the people most affected by the crisis – and one that can help to build a world based on collaboration and compassion.

We have been fighting against an establishment that is trying to shut us down. And like most independent media, we don’t have the deep pockets of investors to call on to bail us out.

Can you help by chipping in a few pounds each month?

The Canary Support us

Related articles