Health secretary Matt Hancock got called a liar and he didn’t like it one bit

Health secretary Matt Hancock at hustings event in Haverhill, Suffolk


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At a hustings event on 29 November in Haverhill, Suffolk, health secretary Matt Hancock tried to sell the Tory pledge of recruiting 50,000 nurses. But the audience had reason to be sceptical, especially since Boris Johnson himself was unclear on LBC Radio about the accuracy of this statement as there will actually be only 31,000 new nurses.

Diversion

When Hancock noticed the audience wasn’t buying it, he predictably diverted to talking about antisemitism in the Labour party. The audience, however, saw past this – they began booing and calling him a liar:

Hancock has developed a bit of a reputation for being an ’empty vessel’. And this isn’t the first time he’s been caught out making misleading claims about the NHS.

When the chair of the event tried to intervene, Hancock held him back so he could carry on talking:

The Tories aren’t fooling anyone

Of course, with the upcoming election, the stakes are even higher. And the audience’s anger is more than justified. Since it’s the Conservatives’ policy of cutting nursing bursaries and underfunding of the NHS that’s caused staff shortages in the first place.

However, reactions to the video make it clear that Hancock, and the Tories, aren’t fooling anyone with their diversion tactics:

Train wreck

What’s more, the rest of the hustings was a bit of a train wreck too. Hancock is MP for West Suffolk, and the locals appear to be unimpressed by his track record:

People in Haverhill weren’t going to give Hancock a pass for his antics. A decade of Tory cuts and neglect of working-class people, combined with Johnson’s open lies and bigotry, aren’t going unnoticed. And there’s only so much damage control that accusing Jeremy Corbyn of antisemitism will do. While polls may be putting the Conservatives ahead, there’s still everything to play for on 12 December.

Featured image via Twitter/James Foster

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  • Show Comments

    1. TO ALL Tory party member time to be held fully accountable by us public /voters/N.H. S staff for your lie plus your personal action!! By voting yes to deal involving selling off our N.H.S. within the Tory party back rooms, we public will in Dec G.E. show our discontent at this N.H.S. sell off planes you have.
      ////
      Health secretary Matt Hancock got called a liar and
      he didnā€™t like it one bit.
      //
      Well some Questions to Hancock + Boris
      Before you broke parliament up for another G.E.
      //
      Q-1
      How many deals as both of you already signed off on that involve selling out parts of our N.H.S. serves?
      Q-2
      To the following countries to complete deals with them U.S.A./China/India/Pakistan/Russia/Turkey.??
      Q-3
      Can you Tory Minister /Hancock/ Boris yes or no?
      show us public + voters any True + Fact written information that NO deal that have already be signed off on by you both do not involved selling our N.H.S. staff off or parts of N.H.S. off are in any deals to be completed now in pipeline?
      ///
      We know you both are going to lie to us public + voters
      Again & Again On this matter so I say to all voters out their if you wish, to keep our N.H.S. in our British peopleā€™s hands only and run by British Govt parties.
      I politely say to all voterā€™s Tory & NON-Tory voters do not vote for any Tory local M.P. standing in Dec G.E.
      As every one of them would or maybe have or could have already ā€˜have voted yes to selling off our N.H.S. with deals done with over country just to keep their job s in Govt and sod our N.H.S. being sold off by them.

      Report comment

    2. VOTERS-Watch the lie flow out of Hancock mouth
      Including the voile attack on Labour for Hancockā€™s + Boris plus over Tory members,
      possible or could be lies + mess on this matter of selling off all or part? of N.H.S.
      ////
      TO ALL Tory party member time to be held fully accountable by us public /voters/N. H. S
      staff for your lie plus your personal action!! By voting yes to deal involving selling off our N.H.S.
      within the Tory party back rooms, we public will in Dec G.E.
      show our discontent at this N.H.S. sell off planes you have.
      ////
      Health secretary Matt Hancock got called a liar and
      he didnā€™t like it one bit.
      //
      Well some Questions to Hancock + Boris
      Before you broke parliament up for another G.E.
      //
      Q-1
      How many deals as both of you already signed off on?
      that involve selling out parts of our N.H.S. serves?
      Q-2
      To the following countries to complete deals with them
      U.S.A./China/India/Pakistan/Russia/Turkey.??
      Q-3
      Can you Tory Minister /Hancock/ Boris yes or no?
      show us public + voters any True + Fact written information that NO deal that have already,
      be signed off on by, you both do not involved selling our N.H.S. staff off or parts of N.H.S.
      off are in any deals to be completed now in pipeline.
      ///
      We know you both are going to lie to us public + voters
      Again & Again On this matter so I say to all voters out their if you wish,
      to keep our N.H.S. in our British peopleā€™s hands only and run by British Govt parties.
      I politely say to all voterā€™s Tory & NON-Tory voters do not vote for any Tory local M.P. standing in Dec G.E.
      As every one of them would or maybe have or could have already ā€˜have voted yes to selling off our N.H.S.
      with deals done with over country just to keep their job s in Govt and sod our N.H.S. being sold off by them.

      Report comment

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