Margot James defends Tory record on NHS after she is called a 'liar' on Question Time
Margot James has given an impassioned defence of the Tories record on the NHS, branding accusations that the Government did not believe in the service as 'an utter lie'.
The Stourbridge MP and Digital Minister took umbrage after her Government was accused of deliberately underfunding the NHS to pave the way for privatisation.
The claim was made by an audience member on BBC's Question Time. It prompted loud cheers and applause from what appeared to be a heavily partisan anti-Tory crowd in Hereford.
Instructed to be 'very brief' in her answer by presenter David Dimbleby, Ms James told the audience member: "I'm very sorry that there is such enthusiasm for what you have just said because it is utterly untrue.
"I've been accused of wanting to set the NHS up to fail so that we can privatise it. Nothing could be further from the truth."
Ms James, who battled constant interruptions during her response, including cries of 'rubbish' and 'liar', continued: "I am not a liar. I have spent time volunteering in the NHS over four or five years.
"I am not a liar. I believe in the NHS and so does my government, and we do put more money into it.
"We put an extra £3,.5 billion in at the last budget, we've increased the NHS budget every year since we got into office.
"I do accept there is more demographic pressures on it. I do accept that. That is true. But it is not true to say that we do not invest in the NHS and it is an utter lie to say that we don't believe in it because we do."
