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Phillip Schofield has called out Boris Johnson for not wearing a mask during a visit to hospital after the prime minister faced backlash for the incident.
Earlier this week, Mr Johnson paid a visit to Hexham General Hospital in Northumberland to promote the government’s encouragement of vulnerable and older people to receive the booster jab if offered.
The politician was accused of flouting Covid-19 rules when he was photographed unmasked in the hospital, while meeting nurses who were wearing their masks.
While guidance on the trust’s website states that visitors should wear a face covering when they enter the hospital until they leave, Downing Street and the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust have since come to Mr Johnson’s defence, with the trust tweeting: ‘The prime minister, Boris Johnson, followed strict measures, including wearing a mask, in each clinical area he visited.’
On Wednesday’s edition of This Morning, Phillip became the latest high-profile figure to criticise the PM for not covering his face in the pictures taken in the hospital.
While speaking to royal commentator Camilla Tominey, she referred to the new investigation that found that more than 11,600 people died after catching Covid-19 in hospital.
At this point, Phillip chimed in to mark a cutting remark about the leader of the Conservative Party.
‘Well it doesn’t help when the prime minister’s not wearing a mask in hospital!’ he said.
‘Well indeed, I don’t know what the thinking was on that, but the optics of the government haven’t been great all week, have they?’ Camilla responded.
‘Doesn’t look good, does it?’ Holly Willoughby commented.
After the pictures were released of Mr Johnson not wearing his mask in hospital, Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth lambasted the PM for ‘irresponsibly parading round a hospital without a mask’.
Dominic Raab later jumped to his defence as well, stating: ‘He followed all the advice and all the guidance that he got at all times, I think that’s the right thing for all of us to do.’
The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson also said: ‘During a hospital visit, we always make sure we abide by the rules set out.
‘He will have been abiding by the rules in place.’
This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV.
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