Politics

'Do you even CARE if this came from Russia?!' Labour shamed over Corbyn NHS documents


Jeremy Corbyn ally Andy McDonald was appearing on Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Saturday after it emerged documents the Labour leader cited as proof the Tories plan to sell off the NHS to the US were linked to a Russian disinformation campaign on social media platform Reddit. Reddit said it had banned 61 accounts following an investigation of suspicious activity. The campaign shared the same pattern of activity as a Russian operation dubbed “Secondary Infektion” uncovered by Facebook earlier this year.

Mr Corbyn used the leaked documents as evidence the Government was at an advanced stage of negotiations with the US to open up the health service to American pharmaceutical companies. There are currently no suggestions the documents were false or doctored in any way.

Speaking since the revelations emerged of the documents being linked to a nefarious Russian campaign, Sky’s Mr Dixon asked Mr McDonald: “Since this election campaign started Jeremy Corbyn and others have said the NHS was going to be up for sale to America.

“It was denied by the Prime Minister, denied by the President of the United States. But Mr Corbyn starts waving about a document which he said proved that the NHS was up for post-Brexit discussion.

“There is now a serious question as to whether that document came from Russia whether indeed it is genuine at all. Do you regret that you have ended up at the centre of that particular row?” 

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Mr McDonald replied: “Well, let’s just get it right, Stephen. The document came from Her Majesty’s Government.”

But Mr Dixon was having none of it. He fired back: “Did it? There were questions raised only this week about whether it was a genuine document because some of the language used in it.”

Mr McDonald insisted: “I think when you have Liam Fox – he did not doubt the accuracy of that document – he did not argue with its content.

“I would just ask the question: what are we concerned about? The veracity of the document? Or where it came from?”

He said: “Let’s be clear. You don’t care if this document effectively came from the Kremlin?”

But the Labour candidate attempted to deflect the issue way from his party.

Mr McDonald said: “I Do. I do, Stephen. And that is why I have repeatedly asked for the Government to publish their intelligence and security committee report.

“What have they got to hide? They really can’t have it both ways.”



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