Conservative MPs Are Secretly Calling For Rishi Sunak To Resign Before The Next General Election
The Prime Minister looked like he wanted to crawl under the table after A&E registrar Olivia put him straight about the shabby state of the NHS during an LBC phone-in where he sought to blame strike action for spiralling NHS waiting lists
In an LBC phone-in, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak found himself confronted by Olivia, an A&E registrar who firmly placed the blame for the NHS staffing crisis on the government.
The Prime Minister went on the LBC show with the aim to put his failing Government and his shocking record as a Prime Minister in a positive light. However, he did not know he was going to be confront by an NHS doctor who has become an instant hero of the people.
The heated exchange put the Prime Minister in his place after the Junior Doctor told him that it was his fault the NHS was in such a bad state.
Olivia, an A&E registrar who has worked for the NHS for ten years, challenged the Prime Minister on his refusal to negotiate with healthcare workers and the subsequent effect on morale and standards of care.
She highlighted the increasing number of strikes among healthcare professionals, emphasizing that the strained frontline services were a direct result of undervaluation. and discontent by Rishi Sunak and his Government.
While the Prime Minister tried to unconvincingly defend the government’s record on investment in the NHS, Olivia argued that blaming doctors’ strikes for the rise in waiting lists was unjustified. She emphasized that the government’s responsibility lies in ensuring a happy workforce, as it directly affects the quality of care provided to patients.
Olivia from Newcastle said: “Frontline services are so stretched that we are in the position that you have had almost all healthcare workers going on strike this year. How do you think your refusal to negotiate with us improves morale or standards of care?”
The squirming PM told her: “You and I are sadly going to just disagree on this but I’m proud of what we’ve done, we’ve invested record sums in the NHS since I became Prime Minister.” He added: “Over a million NHS workers have accepted the Government’s pay deal, many of them on salaries and incomes far lower than consultants and indeed Olivia and her colleagues, that’s just the reality of it.”
He went on: “There are a few exceptions including junior doctors and consultants – that’s what’s causing the waiting lists to go up.” The PM insisted he had “done my bit by backing the NHS for the Long-term Workforce Plan and record funding” – and told her to read the document.
But she hit back: “I think it is amazing that we are blaming the increase in waiting lists on doctors going on strike. You’re losing staff because we are undervalued, and it’s not just doctors, it’s everyone, we are all leaving. A happy workforce is your responsibility. You’re the Prime Minister, you’re the Government, your staff aren’t happy – that’s your fault and ultimately that’s not good for patients.”
Earlier, the Prime Minister tried to put the blame on striking medics for the increased waiting times, as the number of patients on lists soared from 7.2 million to 7.9million.
“If you look at what happened we were actually making progress, we eliminated the number of two-year waiters – people waiting a really long time – we practically eliminated the number of people waiting one-and-a-half years, and we were making progress on bringing the overall numbers down,” he said.
“What happened? We had industrial action, we’ve got strikes.”
It was not just the junior doctor that The Prime Minister got on the wrong side of. Jo, a small business owner from Rishi Sunak’s constituency, who expressed concerns about the adverse impact of Tory policies on independent firms.
Jo said increased taxes, soaring costs, the consequences of Brexit, and the government’s mishandling of the economy as contributing factors to the closure of several well-established businesses in her area. She demanded answers from the Prime Minister on how his party planned to address these challenges.
In response, Rishi Sunak acknowledged the sad reality of business closures but emphasized that each business faced unique circumstances. He cited examples of landlords and breweries who claimed that business was improving, suggesting that confidence was returning. However, Jo’s concerns echoed those of many small business owners who felt that their struggles were not being adequately addressed.
The Prime Minister who continued to look uncomfortable then received a phone call from Jack on the show. He shared his personal financial struggle with the Prime Minister. Jack expressed his frustration with a significant mortgage hike, leaving him feeling unfairly burdened.
Jack said he is facing a rise from £1,500 to £2,800 a month in mortgage repayments and asked: “Why do I feel like I’m being unfairly punished?” He added: “I’m already on a 35-year term. I’m in my early 30s. I don’t want to be paying it off until I’m in the grave.”
Mr Sunak responded: “Jack, the best way for me to help you and your family and everyone else is to get inflation down. It’s not abstract – it’s inflation that is causing everyone problems with their bills. The quicker we get inflation down the quicker we can ease some of these pressures.”
Some Conservative MPs have already called his appearance on the LBC a PR disaster, while others are calling on Rishi to do the right thing and stand down before the next General Election.
One thing is for sure, the Prime Minister is not as popular as he believes he is, but will he do the right thing and make conservative MPs happy and resign before the next General Election, time will only tell?
