Andrew Bridgen told 'Don't you dare disrespect NHS staff' following GMB snub | indy100

Tory MP told to 'have some respect' after snubbing doctor on GMB

Independent

A doctor who was snubbed by a Tory MP on live television has called him out for being "disrespectful".

Writing on Twitter, palliative care doctor Rachel Clarke responded to a clip of Andrew Bridgen expressing gratitude about technical difficulties that cut her off while she was criticising the government's 'Living with Covid' strategy on Good Morning Britain (GMB) yesterday.

Clarke had been criticising the government's decision to stop the obligation for people with coronavirus to self-isolate. She said that while the Covid situation had improved with fewer hospitalisations and deaths, ending mandatory self-isolation was "not just irresponsible or reckless" but "underlies the dishonesty of the government rhetoric throughout" the coronavirus pandemic.

While she was speaking via video link, her connection appeared to fail and she froze. When Susanna Reid pointed that out, Bridgen said "thank goodness", causing Reid to say:

"Let's have some respect for somebody who works on the front line Andrew Bridgen."

Dr Rachel Clarke - The idea the government could thinks it's okay to stop self isolation for Covid... is not just irresponsible or reckless, it's worse than that..\n\nSusanna Reid - The line has frozen\n\nAndrew Bridgen - Thank goodness\n\nSusanna Reid - Let's have some respect..\n\n#GMBpic.twitter.com/XWiZibA1Rl
— Haggis_UK \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa (@Haggis_UK \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa) 1645433940

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After the clip was distributed on Twitter and condemned by people, Clarke has today thanked Reid for calling him out for "sneering" at her.

"Don't you dare disrespect frontline NHS staff," she told Bridgen:

Thank you @susannareid100 @GMB for calling out Andrew Bridgen when he openly sneered at me yesterday.\n\n@ABridgen, until you\u2019ve too cared for for patients dying of Covid - so often due to dangerous & reckless govt policy failings - don\u2019t you *dare* disrespect frontline NHS staff.https://twitter.com/politicsjoe_uk/status/1495728672900325379\u00a0\u2026
— Rachel Clarke (@Rachel Clarke) 1645523813

Your move, Bridgen. (We've contacted him for comment).

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