A Milton Keynes pro-EU campaign group have accused the Prime Minister Boris Johnson of lying in a tweet about his coronavirus battle.
European Movement Milton Keynes, who are the local branch of the national European Movement group, posted the accusation on social media yesterday afternoon.
The group tweeted: "Sorry but this does NOT look like a man who has just emerged from ICU and for whom it could have “gone either way”."
"He doesn’t even look the slightest bit unwell!"
"Isn’t the “scientific advice”, that he’s so fond of, that it takes about a month to recuperate?"
They added the hashtag '#BorisTheLiar' to the post, which also included a copy of the video Mr Johnson recorded after he was discharged from St Thomas' Hospital in London yesterday.
Labour councillor for Central Milton Keynes, Cllr Paul Williams, condemned the group for the tweet, saying: "Appalled by this Tweet. Not only does it label Boris a liar. It implies NHS staff were willing accomplices in that lie, using up a valuable ICU bed for no purpose."
"Please put your daft conspiracy theories in the bin."
MKFM has contacted European Movement MK and they have provided a written statement in response to the tweet.
The statement read: "Firstly, we’re pleased that Boris Johnson has been discharged from hospital and that he is recovering. He’s very fortunate to be able to complete his recuperation at Chequers."
"We’re sorry if anyone is upset by our tweet. We did not intend to “accuse Boris Johnson of lying” and apologise if anyone got that impression. While our language may have been clumsy, we were simply pointing out that the Prime Minister looked remarkably well for someone who, only a few days ago was in intensive care and for whom, in his own words, “it could have gone either way”. Perhaps this is a testament to the fantastic care that he was lucky enough to receive from our wonderful NHS."
"The hashtag that we added is not ours and was selected on the basis that it was trending at the time. We apologise for this mistake."
"At the same time, European Movement MK have always worked hard to help to hold the government to account. It’s part of our role to point out inaccuracies, half-truths and lies. It is a matter of public record that Boris Johnson has lied both before becoming, and whilst serving as, Prime Minister. While this particular tweet may have been poorly worded, our mistake may have upset some people, whereas the mistakes made by Boris Johnson and the government are costing thousands of lives. The government chose not carry out normal NHS test, trace and quarantine procedures in the early days. The government delayed the lock down for 2 weeks after what was happening in Italy was obvious. The government chose not to accept the offer of ventilators from the EU."
"As a result, of these and other mistakes made by the government, another 715 lives were confirmed as lost to Covid-19 today, taking the total to over 11,000. And even that figure leaves out those who died in care homes and at home. This is the real story!"
"At this incredibly difficult time for everyone in MK and the whole of the country, questions remain, and the British public deserve answers. With our NHS on the frontline, a treasured national service that EMMK have supported and fought to defend, have the Prime Minister, the government and the Conservative Party really put us in the best position to fight this dreadful disease? Can we as ordinary citizens really expect the same level of care as he received? And as this is a tax payer funded health service, is it not our right to expect that same level of care? Of course we apologise to anyone offended by the tweet, and we wish Mr Johnson a speedy recovery. But this government’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak, in particular the views taken by the PM early on in the crisis, cannot be allowed to escape scrutiny and accountability."
MKFM's Michael Blades discussed this with Ben Everitt, the MP for Milton Keynes North. Ben said: "They’ve apologised and of course that’s the right thing to do. I think every right minded decent person will wish the Prime Minister very well at this very tough time. This is a time for our nation to come together, and by and large that is what we are doing."
