The Labour MP Gisela Stuart today said the Vote Leave NHS slogan was merely an “example” and not a pledge she would now pursue with her new Brexit group.

Her extraordinary claim came after a group of Labour MPs called on her to apologise for the “lie” of the NHS pledge.

A letter signed by Labour MPs including Pat McFadden, Chuka Umunna, Liz Kendall, Alison McGovern and others was organised by Open Britain this weekend, the successor to Stronger In.

The letter was addressed to Change Britain, a new group being spearheaded by Labour’s Gisela Stuart and Boris Johnson, calling on them to apologise for the NHS pledge.

Asked on Daily Politics today if she would apologise, Stuart declined.

She said the ‘£350m a week’ banner was merely an “example” and she would instead pursue restrictions to immigration.

Jo Coburn: Leaders of the Vote LEave campaign, yourself obviously included, have been asked to apologise for promising there would be £350m of extra money for the NHS and you’ve been asked to apologise by Labour colleagues – Ian Austin, Pat McFadden and Emma Reynolds. Will you apologise for that?

Gisela Stuart: To which I say that unless and until we leave the European Union, there is nothing of this we can do. We said that’s the money we spend on the NHS….and I said if it was my priority, I would spend it on the NHS.

Jo Coburn: Right, isn’t it in your manifesto in this group?

Gisela Stuart: Well, this is why this isn’t a kind of pressure group or a manifesto…

Jo Coburn: You’ve got a manifesto though, for it.

Gisela Stuart: We have the key principles of what we thought people were looking for when they voted to Leave, which were these breaks of links between people and trade, supremacy of EU law, you take control of your taxes and borders…

Jo Coburn: Sure but the NHS pledge was at the heart of your message wasn’t it? A bit surprising it was not there.

Gisela Stuart: No the NHS was the example of that if you’re spending that amounts of money and you don’t have control of what to do with it, I would spend it on the NHS. It was about taking control of your spending decisions.

In other words, you can forget all we said about the NHS, you suckers!

WATCH the segment

Change Britain’s page on what Brexit means doesn’t mention the NHS anywhere.

And no apology for misleading voters either. Shameless