Theresa May blasts Labour scaremongering on NHS after leaflets in Copeland say babies would die if the Tories won
In campaign visit PM backed local nuclear power plant - but swerved saying local hospital would not be downgraded
THERESA May has blasted Labour scaremongering on the NHS after leaflets were distributed in the Copeland by-election saying babies would die if the Tories won.
In a campaign visit to the Cumbrian seat the PM backed the local nuclear power plant but swerved three times saying the local hospital would not be downgraded.
With the Tories expected to take the seat from Labour at next week’s poll, she used a rare trip to support the new Moorside Nuclear facility amid concerns the project needs government support.
But she stopped short of pledging that the government would underwrite the expensive project.
Labour hit back claiming the PM had “failed to assure that the UK is committed to the NuGen nuclear plant at Moorside in Cumbria".
But they have been plagued by accusations they do not fully support nuclear after footage emerged of hapless party chief Jeremy Corbyn calling for all of the power stations to be decommissioned.
And he recently refused to back the new plant at Moorside despite being asked five times by the BBC.
As a result Labour have tried to focus their campaign on the NHS — including a controversial leaflet claiming “mothers will dies, babies will die” with “a vote for the Tories.”
But Mrs May hit back: “There has been a lot of scaremongering about hospital services in the NHS here by the Labour Party.
“There is no truth in the suggestion that A&E at West Cumberland Hospital is about to close.
“They have been misleading in their representation of what I have said about maternity services at West Cumberland Hospital.”
Claims the number of beds at Keswick Hospital are being cut were also unfounded, added Mrs May, and the preferred option was to increase them.
Mrs May visited Tory candidate Trudy Harrison’s home village of Bootle and dropped in at Captain Shaw’s CE Primary School where Year Six pupils showed off their award-winning Lego robot made as part of the First Lego League competition.
Her appearance in the rural seat followed the Sun’s revelations that canvas returns showed 30 per cent of Labour voters in the constituency had deserted the party.
The by-election next Thursday was triggered by the resignation of Jamie Reed before Christmas.
He took the seat in 2015 with a 2,564 majority over the Tories.
