NHS cleaner who volunteers at food bank delivers devastating monologue on Boris Johnson's latest failure

NHS cleaner Hassan Akkad is no stranger to holding the UK government to account.

After going viral last month for calling out the government’s “shocking” coronavirus bereavement scheme for low paid workers, he’s back – but this time with his sights set on the shortfalls of the government in the midst of a global pandemic.

Speaking to Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on GMB on Wednesday morning, Akkad commended footballer Marcus Rashford for putting the pressure on the government to commit to lunch vouchers for school children.

He said:

What Marcus has done is incredible. But there’s a pattern here, Piers and Susanna. There’s a pattern of people stepping up to fill the gaps of the government.

Akkad argued people like 100-year-old war veteran Captain Tom Moore shouldn’t have to raise money for the NHS by walking around his garden and Rashford shouldn’t have had to campaign for a U-turn on government policy for school meals.

He then claimed:

This is what’s happening in the worst public health crisis in modern history.

Akkad also revealed he’s quit his job as an NHS cleaner to volunteer at his local food bank because “people relying on food banks is not a new crisis” due to coronavirus.

He cited figures from the Trussell Trust – the largest food bank network in the UK – handed out 1.6 million food parcels in 2018/2019.

There are more than 14 million people in the UK living below the poverty line, according to the Trust’s website.

Akkad then claimed:

This year – in the last two weeks of March – the number of food parcels given to hungry children doubled compared to previous years.

People on social media praised Akkad for trying to raise awareness around a vital issue:

Let’s just hope Boris Johnson was watching the GMB segment this morning and taking notes...