MATT Hancock’s aide was accidentally hit in the face by a Labour activist following a protest over a four-year-old boy forced to sleep on the hospital floor.
The Health Secretary had been dispatched to Leeds General Infirmary in a bid to calm the storm surrounding Jack Willment-Barr’s overnight stay at A&E today.
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But he is understood to have been confronted by Labour activists outside – with earlier claims by BBC journalist Laura Kuenssberg one of his advisers had been punched.
It later emerged aide Jamie Njoku-Goodwin had accidentally collided with a protester.
Ms Kuenssberg has now apologised for the mix up on Twitter, saying: “Happy to apologise for earlier confusion about the punch that wasn’t a punch outside Leeds General – 2 sources suggested it had happened but clear from video that was wrong”.
Earlier today the PM apologised to the family of four-year-old Jack, who was forced to sleep on the floor of a hospital last week.
Videos showed Mr Hancock heckled by a Momentum mob as he left Leeds General Infirmary.
One said: “Shame on you Matt Hancock! Sleeping on the floor in a hospital!
“Children sleeping on the floor of hospitals!”
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And one other man shouts: “You are not welcome in this hospital, we do not want you in this country!”
One of them turned to Mr Goodwin and said: “You look after these people? They are absolutely devastating this country.
“There’s nothing left.
“These people have devastated our country!”
Video then showed Mr Goodwin appear to be hit when he walked into the same activist’s arm seconds later.
WhatsApp messages of Momentum and Labour campaigners in Leeds show they offered to pay for cabs for activists to go and “kick off” at Mr Hancock as he arrived at the Leeds hospital.
One message read: “URGENT. Matt Hancock is at LGI now – we need people to get down there and kick off.
“We can pay for ANY taxis there if needed.”
Mr Hancock told the BBC when asked about the photo: “To tell you the truth, I was horrified.
“I have three small children myself. I have spent many evenings in A&E. I know what it feels like. I want to make it better.”
Labour’s Angela Rayner said earlier: “I sincerely hope that no one involved in Labour politics has assaulted any person as part of our democratic right to protest. “There is absolutely no place for any form of violence verbally or physically & you harm your cause if you do.”
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The Health Secretary had visited the hospital in West Yorkshire after Boris Johnson was shown an image of a four-year-old patient on top of a set of coats on the floor.
The PM took a look at the mobile phone off an ITV journalist, Joe Pike, and put it in his pocket, when he was confronted with the story on the campaign trail today.
Four-year-old Jack’s mum Sarah Williment had to cover him up with coats to stay warm as he waited for a bed at Leeds General Infirmary last week with suspected pneumonia.
The youngster was eventually diagnosed with flu and tonsillitis after lying on the floor.
The hospital has since apologised to the boy and his family, and explained that it was the busiest week the A&E had seen since 2016.
Mr Johnson took the phone off Mr Pike and said he would “study it later” before slipping it in his pocket.
It’s a terrible, terrible photo. And I apologise obviously to the families and all those who have terrible experiences in the NHS.
Boris Johnson
Mr Pike continued to press him, forcing Boris to admit: “It’s a terrible, terrible photo. And I apologise obviously to the families and all those who have terrible experiences in the NHS.
“But what we are doing is supporting the NHS, and on the whole I think patients in the NHS have a much, much better experience than this poor kid has had.
“That’s why we’re making huge investments into the NHS, and we can only do it if we get Parliament going, if we unblock the current deadlock, and we move forward.”
At the end of the interview, Mr Johnson said: “I’m sorry to have taken your phone. There you go.”
He then handed it back.
Elsewhere in a Q&A Boris was also asked about the picture of little Jack by ITV and the BBC.
He replied: “I’m very proud of what we’re doing to rebuild Leeds General Infirmary and it’s one of the hospitals we will rebuild from the beginning, it’ll be a fantastic project.”
Mr Johnson again repeated his NHS pledges and said he wants to “transform” it.
The PM earlier today had apologised to “everybody who has had a bad experience” with the NHS – when he was quizzed on LBC.
But critics accused him of not even looking at the photo.
Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth hit back: “Sick toddlers like Jack deserve so much better.”
Initially Jack was given a bed in the Paediatric Emergency Department but was moved into the clinical room because of an emergency arrival at the hospital.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has been urgently sent up to the hospital to show the Government are taking the incident seriously.
He could be seen in video footage speaking on the phone as he was ushered into a car away from jeering protesters.
Adviser Mr Njoku-Goodwin meanwhile tried to walk away but accidentally came into contact with a moving arm.
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Dr Yvette Oade, Chief Medical Officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: “Our hospitals are extremely busy at the moment and we are very sorry that Jack’s family had a long wait in our Emergency Department.
“Our Chief Executive Julian Hartley has spoken to Jack’s mum and offered a personal apology.
“We are extremely sorry that there were only chairs available in the treatment room, and no bed.
“This falls below our usual high standards, and for this we would like to sincerely apologise to Jack and his family.”
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