“Rishi Sunak seems confused about his pay dispute with doctors."
Rishi Sunak is continuing to face a backlash for his claim during the leaders debate on Sky News yesterday that doctors’ strikes were to blame for high NHS waiting lists.
The Prime Minister was forced to admit by Sky’s Beth Rigby yesterday that he had failed on his pledge to reduce the waiting lists.
“Yes it has”, Sunak said about waiting lists rising, however he insisted it was going down, but not before taking a dig at striking NHS doctors.
“It’s now going down, the plan is working, we’ve resolved the industrial action,” Sunak said.
He went on to say: “You had a question from a junior doctor earlier.. I think everyone knows the impact the industrial action has had”.
His answer led to boos from the audience and the backlash to his comments has continued.
The British Medical Association (BMA), has also condemned Sunak, pointing out crucially that waiting lists were already at a record high before any strikes started.
The BMA posted on X: “Rishi Sunak seems confused about his pay dispute with doctors.
“Strikes are NOT to blame for waiting lists, which were already at a record high before any strikes started.
“And junior doctors are NOT the only group in dispute, as he’s already been reminded.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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