Iain Dale calls out Tory Over Boris Johnson's "lie" about 40 new hospitals

7 November 2019, 12:53

Boris Johnson said there would be 40 new hospitals in the UK, whereas there will actually be just six. Iain Dale called out a Tory candidate on the "lie".

Iain was asking his Cross Question panel about the NHS, when Conservative candidate Gillian Keegan agreed with Chris Hopson of NHS Providers who asked parties not to weaponise the health service as an election issue.

So the LBC host took her to task over the Prime Minister's "lie" over the number of hospitals he is going to build.

Iain said: "We've had Labour doing what they usually do in a General Election, we've got 24 hours to save the NHS and all of that.

"But we've also twice today had the Prime Minister of this country saying that there are going to be 40 new hospitals in this country, when we all know that there are going to be six.

"Why did he say 40? That's weaponising the issue, isn't it?

"He's wrong to say that's 40 new hospitals. That is, to coin a phrase, a lie."

Ms Keegan admitted: "You could say it's six new hospitals which will be built straight away, 34 which will be built over the next 10 years.

"The vast majority of these hospitals are replacing very old Victorian hospitals."