Jeremy Hunt 'bundled into car' after Labour candidate Wes Streeting confronts him over A&E closure

Hatty Collier12 May 2017
WEST END FINAL

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Labour’s Wes Streeting attempted to confront Jeremy Hunt over the planned closure of an A&E department in chaotic scenes outside a campaign event in north London.

Mr Streeting, who is campaigning to be re-elected in Ilford North, said the Health Secretary was bundled into a waiting car as he tried to challenge him over the closure of the King George hospital A&E department.

Mr Hunt had been speaking at a campaign event in Woodford Green for Tory candidate for Ilford North Lee Scott, who lost the seat to Mr Streeting in the 2015 General Election. The Health Secretary told an audience that he could not see the hospital closing in “the foreseeable future”.

Mr Scott said he "welcomed the news that the closure plans were likely to be shelved".

Video footage shared by Mr Streeting after the event at the Prince Regent Hotel showed him calling after Mr Hunt’s car saying: “Jeremy, why haven’t you reversed the A&E decision?”

Mr Streeting attempted to confront the Health Secretary at a campaign event in Ilford North
@WesStreeting

The footage was captioned: "This was the moment I tried to ask Jeremy Hunt about our A&E as he was bundled off into a car to avoid my questions."

Mr Hunt had told an audience inside the private event: “We are absolutely not going to pursue any decision if it affects neighbouring hospitals.

"I cannot see a change happening in the foreseeable future.”

Labour candidate Mr Streeting and his team were waiting in the car park for Mr Hunt carrying placards with slogans including: “Hands off our NHS”.

The Conservative supporters at the event responded by surrounding Mr Streeting armed with their own placards. In the footage, they can be heard shouting at Mr Streeting: “Where’s Jeremy Corbyn?”

Mr Scott said: "Jeremy Hunt’s intervention today puts an end to Labour’s cynical scaremongering. I welcome the news that King George Hospital’s A&E closure plans announced for 2019 are likely to be shelved. We’ve come to expect this kind of stunt from Corbyn’s candidate."

Mr Streeting calls after Mr Hunt as he is driven away
@WesStreeting

An urgent care centre would replace the A&E at King George under plans drawn up under the coalition. Closure of the A&E at King George was approved in principle by then health secretary Andrew Lansley in 2011.

The decision was taken to close the department by 2019 on the condition that work was done to boost capacity at nearby hospitals.

Mr Streeting, who won the Ilford North seat from the Conservatives in 2015 with a wafer-thin majority of 589 votes, has long campaigned against the closure of the A&E department.

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