Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner was put on the spot today following a Labour Party press release committing to deliver Cumberland Cancer Hospital.
Tom Sheldrick, political correspondent for ITV News Border, confronted Ms Rayner on the press release in an awkward interview on the party’s battle bus.
The Cumberland Cancer Hospital has been built and was opened in 2021. The hospital was on the list of "40 new hospitals" which the Conservatives pledged to build by 2030.
Ms Rayner appeared to be taken by surprise and said: "We need more outreach services in the area as well and that's what Wes is talking about, it's how we can make sure we have those community services, especially in rural areas".
After Mr Sheldrick presented the press release to Angela Rayner she replied "Well, great".
Here is the press release Mr Sheldrick posted on X/Twitter.
Labour has committed to completing the plans to deliver Cumberland Cancer Hospital and Shotley Bridge Hospital if the party wins power.
Cumberland Cancer Hospital & Shotley Bridge Hospital were part of the so-called '40 new hospitals' the Conservatives promised during the 2019 general election campaign. The New Hospitals Programme has since been beset by delays, and not a single new hospital has been built five years on.
Despite Rishi Sunak's promise on the first day of the election campaign that he would build the forty hospitals promised by the Conservatives in the 2019 manifesto by 2030, contracts for the New Hospitals Programme put out to tender by the Government this year extend to 2035, revealing that the government are planning for a five-year delay.
Labour has set out its commitment to deliver the programme, confirming it would build Cumberland Cancer Hospital and upgrade Shotley Bridge Hospital. This is part of the party's plan to get the NHS back on its feet and make it fit for the future.
To cut record-long waiting lists, Labour will deliver 40,000 extra appointments a week at evenings and weekends, paid for by clamping down on tax dodgers and closing non-dom loopholes.
NEW: Ahead of Angela Rayner's visit to Carlisle, Labour put out a press release this morning pledging they would "build Cumberland Cancer Hospital"
— Tom Sheldrick (@TomSheldrickITV) June 4, 2024
But that hospital (technically a cancer centre at Cumberland Infirmary) ALREADY EXISTS - it was opened in 2021 pic.twitter.com/D749GSzObX