A video of England’s Chief Medical Officer Sir Chris Whitty being harassed and called a ‘liar’ on the street has been described as “appalling” by MP Matt Vickers.
Footage shared on TikTok was taken at Westminster’s Strutton Ground market as Whitty queued up for his lunch this week.
A young man holding the cameraphone can be heard repeatedly saying “you’re a liar”.
Vickers, MP for Stockton South, said on Twitter: “This is appalling, I really can’t believe this footage.
“Chris Whitty is doing all he can to help guide us through this crisis and should never be subjected to this abuse.”
*Please share*
— Matt Vickers MP (@Matt_VickersMP) February 2, 2021
This is appalling, I really can’t believe this footage.
Chris Whitty is doing all he can to help guide us through this crisis and should never be subjected to this abuse. pic.twitter.com/90wxuQZW0t
Christmas shifts
Whitty was spotted working on Covid wards during the Christmas period, it was revealed as cases soared in London.
The consultant physician at University College London Hospitals Trust turned up for shifts on the north London hospital’s respiratory ward.
The UK had recorded 50,023 new Covid-19 infections and a further 981 deaths at the time, with a new strain running ragged in the capital.
Ambulances with Covid-19 patients were seen queueing outside hospitals, with footage on social media showing vehicles lined up outside the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel and Queen’s Hospital in Romford, both in east London.
Prof Whitty, who became chief medical officer in 2018, has become a household name after rising to prominence during the coronavirus crisis and appearing at numerous Downing Street briefings.
In November, he told a press conference at No 10 that he would be “on the wards” at Christmas and urged the public “to have sense” as the national lockdown neared its end.
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