FOREIGN Secretary Dominic Raab has been appointed the Prime Minister’s de-facto deputy while he is hospitalised due to effects from the coronavirus.
Boris Johnson was admitted to intensive care last night as he continued to suffer symptoms from Covid-19. Downing Street said he was still conscious and in good spirits.
Number 10 has said Johnson is still the Prime Minister but Raab is the so-called “designated survivor” for the Tory Government – and in the mean time will deputise for Johnson.
Following the news a clip resurfaced yesterday showing Raab calling demands for more NHS funding a “childish wish list” at a pre-election debate in 2017.
At the event, SNP equalities convener Fiona Robertson criticised the Tory Government’s record. She said: “With the work capability assessment Napier and Edinburgh University just released evidence about how it causes almost universal permanent mental health damage. It kills people. I have friends who were institutionalised after going through it. It is an act of violence. And we are dying. This is election is life or death for us.”
Here we have the man now running the country @DominicRaab previously talking of demands to help the sick & the elderly as a “childish wish list”, believe me it gets a lot worse on austerity & food banks #NeverForget #PPEforTheNHS #COVID29 pic.twitter.com/WNTCIyRaDX
— Aamer Anwar🎗✊🏽 (@AamerAnwar) April 6, 2020
Raab responded: “The raw truth is the money’s got to come from somewhere and it’s very easy … I can think of lots of things that I would like to avoid making difficult decisions on lots of areas like the health service or schools where I want to put even more money in. but unless you’ve got a strong economy creating the revenue it’s just a childish wish list. We’re trying to do our best to get the balance right between responsible public finances and investing in some of those crucial areas –“
He was cut off by Robertson who then said: “So you choose to sacrifice tens of thousands of disabled people for the sake of that?”
The clip, produced by LBC’s James O’Brien, goes on to show Raab’s controversial moments on Brexit-related matters.
Raab is set to chair Cabinet meetings, liaise with senior civil servants and take decisions on behalf of Johnson if he is unable to while hospitalised.
If Johnson requires ventilation he will need to be sedated, meaning he will be unable to make decisions for several days.
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