Kentish Express Ashford & District
PM ‘made mistake’ over new hospital, says Tory hopeful
Candidate admits Boris ‘clearly’ blundered
Boris Johnson “clearly made a mistake” when declaring a new hospital will be built in Canterbury, Tory parliamentary candidate Anna Firth has admitted.
The Prime Minister made the shock announcement at a party conference fringe meeting - despite the city not featuring on a list of 40 projects earmarked by the government.
Now Ms Firth, who is the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Canterbury and Whitstable, says her party leader made an error - and “can’t be on top of every little detail”.
Speaking on BBC One’s Sunday Politics show, the former barrister said: “He has clearly made a mistake. It isn’t in the 40, we know that.
“But what I would say is, it was very exciting to hear that it is on his radar.
“We now know that east Kent is finally on the radar at the highest echelons of government and that is my job to make sure that the Secretary of State knows the people of Canterbury want a new hospital.
“I didn’t know that was going to be announced, and I think we’ve got to be fair to the Prime Minister.
“He can’t be on top of every little detail... that was said at a fringe meeting in the evening.”
The confusion surrounding the future of healthcare in east Kent comes as top doctors have been considering a huge reshuffle of services at the Kent & Canterbury, William Harvey, and QEQM in Margate.
Two options are being scrutinised in a lengthy decision-making process.
But Mr Johnson seemingly jumped the gun by suggesting Canterbury would be home to a new hospital.
If option two is chosen and the Canterbury super hospital is built, health bosses would close the A&E departments at the Harvey and QEQM.
Footage of the prime minister’s speech captured him saying: “I’m delighted that Canterbury, for instance, is going to be one of the 40 new hospitals we are building – in the biggest programme of hospital infrastructure investment for a generation.”
Canterbury’s Labour MP Rosie Duffield is calling for a formal retraction of the pledge.
She said: “This gaffe by the Prime Minister has raised the hopes of many of us living and working in the area who have long-campaigned for fully funded hospital services to be returned to Canterbury.”
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