A nurse who sparked fury by saying live on national TV: ‘If you voted Conservative you don’t deserve to be resuscitated by the NHS’ claims she has since lost her job.
Former NHS nurse Miranda Hughes made the inflammatory comments during a live TV debate on Channel 5 on Monday.
Following her comments, Twitter users expressed outrage, with many suggesting she should be sacked and investigated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Spoke to yesterday The telegraph, Ms Hughes, who works in the private sector, said: ‘They can do that to me because of their media policy. I mustn’t say anything. I have brought the company into disrepute, so yes, I will be fired.
Former NHS nurse Miranda Hughes made the inflammatory comments during a live TV debate on Channel 5 on Monday, which she now claims could have cost her her job at a private medical firm based in south London
‘The reason I went on the program was that you can’t take care of your patients, it’s impossible. Because I worry too much and even Jeremy Vine told me working in the NHS broke you.
‘Well, it has, and it’s broken me again. I can’t do the right thing and it frustrates the hell out of me because I’ve been sick myself, I’ve had to see people die and there are no resources to help.’
Ms Hughes said she became angry and said “something inappropriate” and claims her only problem is that she “cares too much”.
The outburst comes after Ms Hughes also branded Brexit ‘absurd’ and ’embarrassing’ during an earlier appearance on BBC Question Time.
The outburst comes after self-proclaimed ‘Anti-Tory’ Mrs Hughes also branded Brexit ‘absurd’ and ’embarrassing’ during an earlier rant on BBC Question Time (pictured)
Her comments about the NHS were made last night on a live debate called ‘Britain on the Brink’, hosted by Jeremy Vine.
After being challenged about the claims, Ms Hughes, who now works in the private sector, retracted her inflammatory remarks, insisting: “No, of course I would, of course I would.”
But her original comments have sparked outrage online, with some describing them as ‘disgusting’ and ‘narrow-minded’.
Others pointed out that more than 14 million people voted Conservative in the 2019 election.
And today the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the independent regulator for nurses and nursing assistants, said today it had been made aware of the comments.
A spokesman said: ‘We have seen many tweets about a comment yesterday on TV.
‘Our code is clear that professionals on our register must promote professionalism and trust at all times.
‘Where concerns are raised with us we will always investigate and consider taking action if necessary.’
Mrs Hughes made the comments as she explained to the host, Vine, about her decision to leave the NHS for the private sector.
She said: ‘I couldn’t deal with the emotional stress of not being able to deliver for my patients.
‘When you sign up as a nurse, you sign up to put the patient at the forefront of everything you do.
‘You’re pushed to the point where you can’t treat people the way you should treat them.
‘And it eats you up, because you’re there to do a job as a compassionate human being, but there are no resources.
Furious in anger as she spoke, she then said: ‘And you’re consistently told on the news that care homes are being fenced off, but that’s a lie.’
And I’m sorry, but if you voted Conservative, you don’t deserve to be resuscitated by the NHS.
‘I know it’s hard, I know it’s hard, but I look at these gentlemen and it has made me so angry.
Asked if she meant what she said by host Jeremy Vine, she replied: ‘No, of course I would, of course I would.
“But it is appalling the way we have been treated. All the nurses have been punched in the face.’
Her comments have sparked a backlash online today, with people describing her views as ‘bigotry’.
One person to comment was former Sky and GB News presenter Colin Brazier. He said on Twitter: “It’s no use trampling “…all it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing” too regularly.
‘But really. To say that Tory voters should not be resuscitated, if they need it, in hospital crosses several lines.’
David Atherton, who describes himself as a libertarian and a former contributor to the right-wing website Breibert, tweeted: ‘Left-wing nurse Miranda Hughes said on Channel 5’s ‘Britain on the Brink’ last night that the Tories ‘don’t deserve to be revived .’
‘I thought ‘never kissed a Tory’ was bad enough for bigotry.’
Another to react to the video, Scottish Conservative councilor Iain Gall, tweeted: ‘13,966,454 people voted Conservative in the 2019 general election including myself.
‘No doubt this cretin has #bekind in her bio.’
It comes after a wave of criticism of Labor politicians and activists following anti-Tory remarks.
Labor frontbencher Lucy Powell was accused of inciting division earlier this year after posing in a T-shirt claiming she had ‘never kissed a Tory’.
The party’s culture spokesman was told to ‘grow up’ after she was pictured wearing the T-shirt at the Manchester Pride parade.
But Labor allies suggested the row over the T-shirt, which has become popular in some left-wing circles, was an attempt to distract people from the cost of living crisis.
Ms Powell, the party’s culture spokesman, was told to “grow up” after she was pictured wearing the T-shirt at the Manchester Pride parade at the weekend
Chris Clarkson, Tory MP for Heywood and Middleton, said of the shirt: ‘Puerile, divisive and completely against the spirit of inclusion that Pride is supposed to embody. Grow up.’
Sara Britcliffe, for Hyndburn and Haslingden, added: ‘This is the problem. To create an us v them. Pretty disgusting from a shadow minister.
‘A difference in political beliefs should not result in hatred.’
Tory MP Dehenna Davison, who came out as bisexual last year, also called the stunt ‘juvenile’.
A source close to Mrs Powell said last night: “While the Conservatives fixate on a T-shirt worn at a Pride event in Manchester this weekend – a T-shirt worn by Labor at all Prides for over another decade huge cheers from crowds – millions of families and pensioners are worried about how they will pay their energy bills this winter.’
Labor deputy leader Angela Rayner also faced criticism last year after referring to the Conservatives as ‘scum’ during a fringe rally at Labour’s party conference in Brighton.
She said: ‘We can’t get any worse than a bunch of scum, homophobic, racist, misogynistic, absolutely disgusting, banana republic, disgusting, ugly, Etonian piece of scum.’
She later apologized ‘unreservedly’ for the remarks, saying she had ‘reflected’ on the tone of the political debate in the wake of the murder of Conservative MP Sir David Amess last October and would no longer use such language.