Even a BBC presenter is astounded by the government’s latest announcement on ventilators

BBC news presenter looking confused


A government announcement on ventilators appeared to astound a BBC news presenter on 1 April. The government had said it needed a minimum of 30,000 new ventilators to cope with the coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic. But Downing Street revealed that just 30 new ventilators will become available this weekend.

The news left one BBC presenter, Jane Hill, dumbfounded by what she was reading out.

“We have been double-checking this”

Upon reading the news that just 30 ventilators were ready, Hill looked confused and stated:

Related articles

Read on...

We have been double-checking this. But it does seem to say 30.

She continued:

But that initially for this weekend does seem to be a small number but it is the figure of 30 and we’re trying to get a little bit more detail on that.

Twitter users pointed out that the BBC reporter couldn’t “hide her disbelief” at the “appalling” failure of the ruling party:

Meanwhile, Daily Mirror online political editor Dan Bloom pointed to Michael Gove’s promises that the NHS would receive “the first of thousands of new ventilator devices”:

Writer David Schneider put the news in the context of other government lies and obfuscations about the NHS:

Making it up as they go

The news about the 30 new ventilators came on the same day that Conservative minister Robert Jenrick ‘lost’ 4,000 ventilators in “less than an hour”. Firstly, Jenrick told Sky News that “we have” more than 12,000 ventilators currently. He then told BBC Breakfast:

the number of ventilators, which is 8,000 in the NHS today, will increase very significantly.

Essentially, the Conservatives appear to be making things up as they go along, or getting things badly wrong, and hoping no-one will notice. But this crisis is too serious for it to be business as usual for the Conservative Party spin office.

Figures also released on 1 April show that the UK has just suffered its largest fatality rate since the pandemic broke in this country, with 563 deaths in a 24-hour period. In total, 2,352 have died from coronavirus, and this figure may just be the tip of the iceberg. Yet the government is feeding people lies, misdirection, and spin. This has to stop. We deserve and must demand so much more.

When even a BBC presenter is visibly shocked at a government’s announcement, it’s a telling sign of how low Johnson’s party has sunk.

Featured image via screengrab

We need your help to keep speaking the truth

Every story that you have come to us with; each injustice you have asked us to investigate; every campaign we have fought; each of your unheard voices we amplified; we do this for you. We are making a difference on your behalf.

Our fight is your fight. You’ve supported our collective struggle every time you gave us a like; and every time you shared our work across social media. Now we need you to support us with a monthly donation.

We have published nearly 2,000 articles and over 50 films in 2021. And we want to do this and more in 2022 but we don’t have enough money to go on at this pace. So, if you value our work and want us to continue then please join us and be part of The Canary family.

In return, you get:

* Advert free reading experience
* Quarterly group video call with the Editor-in-Chief
* Behind the scenes monthly e-newsletter
* 20% discount in our shop

Almost all of our spending goes to the people who make The Canary’s content. So your contribution directly supports our writers and enables us to continue to do what we do: speaking truth, powered by you. We have weathered many attempts to shut us down and silence our vital opposition to an increasingly fascist government and right-wing mainstream media.

With your help we can continue:

* Holding political and state power to account
* Advocating for the people the system marginalises
* Being a media outlet that upholds the highest standards
* Campaigning on the issues others won’t
* Putting your lives central to everything we do

We are a drop of truth in an ocean of deceit. But we can’t do this without your support. So please, can you help us continue the fight?

The Canary Support us

Related articles