Nurses were partying as well! Tory MP Richard Bacon is furious,
Nurses were partying as well! Tory MP Richard Bacon is furious, saying Boris Johnson should not be “condemned” over Partygate because NHS workers were also “letting their hair down” during the pandemic.
A Conservative MP has stirred a new partygate controversy by claiming that NHS personnel violated Covid restrictions during the pandemic.
Richard Bacon, who has held the safe seat of South Norfolk since 2001, attempted to defend raucous lockdown-busting parties in Boris Johnson‘s Government by insinuating that health workers throughout the UK also broke the rules.
‘I am not satisfied with the disclosures, but I think they were working under great strain – you haven’t researched it, but there are 1.5 million people who work in the industry,’ he said.
‘We were under incredible strain in the midst of a global pandemic, and we had no idea what we were dealing with.’
‘The fact that he [Mr Johnson] goes around thanking his staff for working very, very hard, 18 hours a day, trying to keep the show on the road while we were in the grip of a global pandemic, is not a crime, and I don’t think it is something he should be condemned for, and I certainly don’t think it is something he should resign for – I support Boris,’ he added.
Labour shadow health secretary Wes Streeting seized on Mr Bacon’s words, calling on him to apologize for his “grotesque slur.”
Former England captain Gary Lineker, who also took to Twitter, raged: ‘Hospitals are pretty large buildings. Nurses and doctors worked extremely long shifts. Some of them, no sure, left their employment and yet managed not to have a party after work and observe the regulations that they didn’t make.’
One Twitter user dubbed Mr Bacon’s remarks a “bad take on the day,” while another said, “Disgraceful comment by #RichardBacon MP, and an insult to all #NHS workers.” I must declare an interest since a member of my family works for the NHS, and I find his remarks repulsive, condescending, and arrogant.’
‘I have never been angrier by comments regarding our NHS staff as I am now,’ said another.
