Nigel Farage has been reminded of his own pre-referendum tweets as he takes aim at China in the fight to stem the spread of coronavirus.
The Brexit Party leader bemoaned reports that the UK is looking to procure ventilators from China to plug the shortfall in the health service.
Tweeting, he said:
“I hear that the UK Government are buying ventilators from China, yes China. Can this be true?”
But shortly before the vote to leave the EU he had heralded such deals as being the key to the UK’s future prosperity.
In 2015, he posted:
“Australia signed a free trade deal with China today. Another example of what can be achieved as an independent nation”.
It's hard to keep laughing in these dark times. Actually it's not really pic.twitter.com/hqj2cBDR0x
— Henry Mance (@henrymance) March 30, 2020
“Thousands of lives depend on it”
Farage has also been reminded of the need to put breathing above politics as the UK battles to flatten the coronavirus curve.
David Lammy responded to his tweet by saying:
“The UK government should be buying ventilators from wherever it can get them. Thousands of lives depend on it. This is no time for your narrow-minded nationalism.”
Lammy also pointed out that Farage’s tweet had an “iPhone” signature – a device famously manufactured in… China.
“Isn’t that what you wanted?”
Musician Sam Duckworth added in: “They have been for years. It’s where a lot of ventilators are manufactured. But don’t let life saving equipment get in the way of a good ideological Hail Mary eh.”
While someone else asked Farage: “Isn’t that exactly what you wanted? Buy long-distance from China rather than from our close-by EU neighbours?”
Related: President of Ghana provides much-needed perspective in these troubling times
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