General election: Boris Johnson criticised over reaction to image of sick boy on hospital floor
Challenged on the interaction, the PM did not respond to questions about the photo but talked about plans to "transform our NHS".
Wednesday 11 December 2019 16:07, UK
Boris Johnson has been criticised for taking the phone of a journalist who tried to show him a picture of a boy sleeping on a hospital floor.
The prime minister was accused of not caring about Jack Williment-Barr, a four-year-old with suspected pneumonia taken to Leeds General Infirmary.
He was invited multiple times to look at a photo of the boy waiting for treatment lying on a pile of coats in an interview with ITV News - but instead pocketed the phone.
Mr Johnson later took the phone from his pocket, looked at the screen and said: "It's a terrible, terrible photo, and I apologise obviously to the family and all those who have terrible experiences in the NHS".
Challenged on the interaction later, the prime minister did not respond to questions about the photo or taking the journalist's phone but talked about plans to "transform our NHS".
Pressed on whether his reaction showed he didn't care about the boy, the Conservative leader insisted: "I've answered that question."
He added: "We are not only investing in children's services in Leeds but we're also rebuilding the whole Leeds Infirmary from top to bottom.
"And we can do that because we're now putting the biggest ever investment into the NHS.
"What I don't want to see is a fantastic programme that is going to unite and level up our country being blocked again."
Health Secretary Matt Hancock made a visit to Leeds General Infirmiry later on Monday.
He admitted he was "horrified" to see the picture of Jack on the hospital floor on the Daily Mirror's front page.
"It's not good enough," said the health secretary, as he revealed he had apologised to the boy's family.
Mr Hancock praised the hospital for having already identified problems on the unit where Jack was treated and for having formulated plans to treble the unit's size.
"I've come because I wanted to get reassurance from the trust that they're doing everything they can," he said.
"And I've been very impressed with the response of the trust.
"Not only did they know there was a problem in this area before, and they've already allocated the funds to sort it out.
"But, also, the staff have been absolutely brilliant in response to this pressure of this increase of one-third in the number of children attending the A&E here at Leeds.
"I want to thank them and I want to thank the staff of the NHS right across the country who are coping with this increased demand."
Mr Hancock denied he had visited the hospital because the Tories were panicking about the impact of the row on their general election campaign.
He added: "I think what people want to see is the substance of increased investment in the NHS, making sure we're dealing with the problems in the NHS.
"And that's exactly what we're doing here at Leeds General."
Footage of Mr Hancock's departure from the hospital saw him being heckled by protesters, who shouted "shame on you" and "you're not welcome in this hospital, you're not welcome in this country".
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn held a picture of Jack up at a rally in Bristol on Monday afternoon.
"The Tories have had nine years to fund our NHS properly," he said.
"It's time to bring their regime to an end and elect a Labour government that's determined to fund our NHS properly."
On Twitter, Mr Corbyn claimed the prime minister "just doesn't care".
Shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth added sick toddlers like Jack "deserve so much better", while shadow communities secretary Andrew Gwynne claimed the PM "just doesn't give a s*** about anybody but himself".
Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Jo Swinson, tweeted: "He won't look at the photo because he simply does not care.
"He doesn't care about Jack. He doesn't care about anyone other than himself.
"If he gets a majority on Thursday, he'll spend five years not caring about you either."
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