Alex Salmond should "apologise for lying about the NHS" ahead of tonight’s BBC debate with Alistair Darling. Dr Phillipa Whitford is an SNP member and the face of the SNP’s NHS
campaign. She has been cited by Alex Salmond during exchanges in the Scottish Parliament. Dr Whitford said in a speech that has been watched by more than 60,000 people on youtube that a hospital in Gateshead would have to consider cancelling gullet cancer operations because of moves to privatise the NHS in England.
This claim has been exposed as untrue in today’s Daily Record. The Chief Executive of the North East NHS Foundation Sir Leonard Fenwisk, described this claim as the “biggest load of crap I have ever heard” and “codswallop”. As the nationalist campaign "gets more desperate", they have "resorted to lies about our NHS". The tactic has backfired in recent weeks as a range of experts have spoken out to call these claims for what they are – "lies".
Scottish Labour Leader Johann Lamont said: "Alex Salmond lied when he said he had EU legal advice when he hadn't. John Swinney said he was in discussions with the Bank of England on a currency union when he wasn't. Now the Yes campaign are trying to scare cancer patients, the sick and the vulnerable with stories which are simply untrue. Alex Neil knows that the NHS in Scotland cannot be privatised - he said it himself. Nicola Sturgeon said the NHS in Scotland cannot be privatised. Alex Salmond's decision to lie about the NHS being privatised is the most shameful thing I have seen in my time in Scottish politics. He even quoted Philippa Whitford in the Scottish Parliament. He must apologise to the people of Scotland immediately."
