Took the phone from the reporter: Johnson refused to look at an image of a hospitalized child on the floor

Days before the election, the prime minister ignored a 4-year-old lying on coats for lack of beds, and even shoved the reporter's phone into his pocket. He quickly apologized, saying: "A terrible picture." The opposition said it was proof he had no empathy for patients. One of the key issues in the campaign

Took the phone from the reporter: Johnson refused to look at an image of a hospitalized child on the floor

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was criticized yesterday for his reaction to a picture of a sick boy lying on the floor of a hospital, three days before the election. His conservative party is still leading Labor, with the barracks and the future of the country's public health service being two of the most prominent issues in the campaign.

During an interview with Johnson, an ITV channel reporter repeatedly tried to show him a photo on his phone showing a four-year-old boy lying on a pile of coats in a Leeds city hospital. The photo was featured on the Daily Mirror newspaper's newspaper cover. The paper said the child was probably pneumonia and was being treated on the floor because there were no beds available.

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The photo was posted at a newspaper cover supporting Labor. The boy on the pile of coats at Leeds Hospital

Four-year-old boy lying on a hospital floor in Leeds, UK, December 2019 (Photo: official website)

Johnson initially avoided looking at the phone, and instead began elaborating on his plan to invest in health care, saying he had no opportunity to look at the picture. The reporter said Johnson took his phone and put it in his pocket. When asked about it again, Johnson took out the phone, looked at him and said: "It's a terrible, terrible picture. I of course apologize to the family and to everyone who has had terrible experiences in the NHS, but what we do is support the NHS.

The prime minister further added that he believes that, overall, "patients have a much better experience than this poor boy." He apologized to the reporter: "I'm sorry I took your phone."

Opposition parties were quick to share the documentation on social networks, saying it proves Johnson has no empathy for hospitalized patients.

Just before the election: Johnson and Corbyn in a fierce confrontation over the British

Still leading in polls. Johnson, yesterday (Photo: Reuters)

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson talks to journalists in flight to Birmingham, December 9, 2019 (Photo: Reuters)

Later in the day, Health Minister Matt Hancock visited the same hospital, saying he was "horrified" by the picture. Asked if he came to visit just because conservatives were alarmed by the image's impact on the campaign, Hancock rejected it: "No, what people want to see is increased investment, and make sure we are dealing with the problems." Outside the hospital, some Labor supporters protested against the Secretary of Health in Johnson's government.

At the same time, during another campaign event near the town of Sunderland in northeast England, one of the main goals of the Conservative elections, Johnson was asked by one of the participants about a fake website launched to distract voters from Labor's platform last month.

The website, www.labourmanifesto.co.uk, has accused Jeremy Corbyn's party of having "no plan for a bartender" because it wants to impose higher taxes and conduct two more referendums.

Asked if Labor's concern was what caused his party to set up the site, Johnson said: "I'm afraid the short answer to this question is that I have no idea."