Trevor Philips quizzes Wes Streeting over his words on the NHS

Labour’s attitude to the NHS has been called out by Sky News’ Sir Trevor Phillips as he grilled shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting in a car crash interview for the politicvian.

Phillips, a former senior Labour politician himself, wanted to know why Streeting had described the NHS as “complacent.”

Watch above as he asks: “Can we have a camera there next time you tell a nurse who has come off a 12-hour shift that she is complacent?”

A shocked looking Streeting reacted with horror claiming that he was just trying to represent views of NHS staff.

He said: “I am not saying that people working in the NHS are complacent. In fact I am amplifying their anxieties and their experience.”

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An exasperated Phillips retorted: “No you are not! You are saying the NHS is complacent.”

As the row spiralled out of control, Streeting came back: “That’s a ridiculous thing to say!”

“Your words,” added Phillips.

Streeting tried to take the issue on to sitting in GP surgeries where he has been shown “outdated IT systems” and “ridiculous amounts of red tape” they have to comply with.

He said: “I’ve spoken to nurses amnd wrd staff complaining about the creaking bureacracy.”

But Phillips had not finished.

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He said: “You didn’t say to them that they are being complacent by complaining about the crisis? You didn’t say that did you?”

But he also wrned that Labour will not be spending much more money because of the economic crisis.

“There isn’t much more money to go around,” Streeting said.

The humiliating row threatened to expose Labour on a key election platform having thought most of the last four decades under a slogan of “last chance to save the NHS”.

Earlier, Phillips had also pressed Streeting on his words on funding.

In an interview with the Times, Streeting had said: “I don’t think it is good enough that the NHS uses every winter crisis as an excuse to ask for more money.”

Phillips asked: “Waiting lists at nearly 8 million, ambulances stacked up outside A&E, really? An excuse?”

Streeting blamed “an astonishing record of failure” by the Conservative government, but Phillips interjected: “No! No! Let’s deal with your words.”

Streeting said: “I think when you are lookinga t the challenges he NHS we have the triple whammy of a growing aging population, rising chronic disease and rising cost pressures.”

He warned that without change there is a danger “we will bankrupt the NHS”.

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