The video will start in 8 Cancel

What is really going on in politics? Get our daily email briefing straight to your inbox Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Another day, another image of a sick child suffering that shames the Tories for their catastrophic cuts to the NHS .

Nine-month-old baby Lily had to wait on a hospital chair for hours.

Our picture earlier today showed four-year-old Jack forced to sleep on a hospital floor while waiting treatment for suspected pneumonia.

But the squirming Prime Minister refused to even look at the photo when confronted by a TV reporter.

Confronted by a TV reporter with the image of poorly Jack from Friday’s Mirror front page, the Prime Minister repeatedly dodged it. At one point the mumbling PM even pocketed the reporter’s mobile to avoid doing so.

Have you experienced a similar problem in hospital? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk

And in a desperate bid to limit the damage, the shame-faced PM sent Health Secretary Matt Hancock to Leeds General Infirmary where Jack was treated. But by then the story had crossed the Atlantic with CNN and the Washington Post reporting it.

Jack’s plight also made headline news on the BBC, ITV and Sky.

Four-year-old Jack had been rushed to Leeds General as his GP suspected he had pneumonia.

It wasn’t the first time the Tory leader was confronted our story on the scandal on the worst day of his election campaign so far.

And former Mirror editor Piers Morgan shared it with his 6.9million Twitter follower saying “The, harrowing Mirror front page that Boris Johnson couldn’t bear to look at. Will it derail his election campaign?”.

The shocking tale prompted Louise Webb, 23, to contact the mirror after her nine-month old baby, Lily, was forced to wait six hours for a bed.

Louise had taken Lily to the Countess of Chester Hospital near their Ellesmere Port home, after she deteriorated following weeks of illness.

(Image: CHRIS NEILL/MAVERICK PHOTOGRAPHY LIMITED)

Suffering from an ear infection, vomiting and diarrhoea, the baby was badly dehydrated.

Louise, Lily’s and her dad, Thomas Noden, 24, were signed in to A&E hospital at 12.45am last Wednesday.

Yet they had to wait until 6am before she was seen by a doctor.

It was a further hour before Lily was seen by a children’s specialist who Louise said told them: “We have not got enough beds.”

Louise added: “She said, ‘You can sit in the waiting room where to wait for a bed, but that could be hours’.”

(Image: Supplied)

Louise and Thomas stayed up all night, with their sick baby on a chair. They took their photo at 2am.

Louise said the overstretched medics did their best and blamed austerity for the chaos.

“They have not got enough funding, they have not got enough nurses,” she said. Thankfully over the next 24 hours, Lily began to improve.

But the experience left Louise feeling “something needs to change.”

She said: “To sit in a hospital and see at first hand the situation, it really opens your eyes.”

Dr Susan Gilby, chief executive at the hospital, said: “We apologise to anyone who has to wait longer than four hours. We would be very grateful to receive their feedback.”

As the fall out from our story on little Jack continued Mr Johnson was met with a storm of criticism across the media and from outraged members of the public.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

(Image: Supplied)

First he was confronted on LBC radio, then at an event at a factory on Tyneside and in the ITV interview with reporter Joe Pike.

The journalist had to point out on air the PM had snatched his phone.

Mr Johnson finally looked at the image which he described as a “terrible, terrible photo”.

He added: “Obviously we have every possible sympathy for everybody who has a bad experience of the NHS, that’s why we’re putting a record investment into the NHS.”

(Image: Tom Wren SWNS)

But his spending claims were challenged at the factory by mum Page Hood, who said her son endured two lengthy waits in A&E in a week.

She said: “No one should believe that – they’ve been in power for nine years.

“I don’t understand how anyone is going to trust the Conservatives”. At a rally in Bristol Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn held aloft a copy of the Mirror, branding the image a “disgrace”.

As supporters shouted “Shame on you Boris” he urged people to vote Labour to save the health service.

He said: “The Tories have had nine years to fund our NHS. It’s time to bring their regime to an end.”

(Image: Supplied)

Mr Hancock, who had earlier called Jack’s mum to apologise, was shown our story during his visit to Leeds.

“It’s not good enough and I’ve apologised,” he said.

But Mr Johnson’s bad day got worse when Conservative aides invented a story that one of Mr Hancock’s team was punched by a Labour activist.

BBC footage showed the Tory aide walked into a protester’s arm - apparently by accident

Little Jack was eventually found a bed at 3am. Diagnosed with flu and tonsillitis, he went home that day.

His mum Sarah Williment, 34, told the Mirror she would now dump the Tories and vote Labour on Thursday.