boris phone ITV

Prime Minister Boris Johnson snatched a reporter’s phone when the reporter tried to show him a photo of a 4-year-old boy who was forced to lie on a pile of coats in a hospital.

The prime minister refused to look at the photo and then took the phone from the reporter and put it in his pocket.

Recent statistics have indicated that the UK’s National Health Service is struggling to cope.

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LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson snatched a reporter’s phone after the reporter tried to show him a picture of a 4-year-old boy who was forced to sleep on a hospital floor.

The prime minister refused to look at the photo, grabbed the reporter’s phone, and put it in his pocket for part of the interview.

The boy, Jack Williment-Barr, was reportedly forced to lie on a pile of coats in a hospital in Leeds while waiting for more than four hours to be seen earlier this month. He was thought to have pneumonia.

Watch the footage of Johnson:

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Tried to show @BorisJohnson the picture of Jack Williment-Barr. The 4-year-old with suspected pneumonia forced to lie on a pile of coats on the floor of a Leeds hospital.

The PM grabbed my phone and put it in his pocket: @itvcalendar | #GE19 pic.twitter.com/hv9mk4xrNJ

Johnson said he had „every sympathy“ for the child, whose picture was published by the Daily Mirror on Sunday, but didn’t look at the photo and then took the phone from ITV News‘ Joe Pike and put it in his pocket.

After being pushed repeatedly by Pike, Johnson looked and said, „It’s a terrible, terrible photo, and I apologise, obviously, to the family.“

Tweet Embed:

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Monday’s @DailyMirror front page.

Mum Sarah Williment, who is voting Labour for first time in her life, says: „I’m angry at the lack of funding and the lack of beds because I think that is failing our children.“https://t.co/spDT9On5Z9 pic.twitter.com/3XQYuBfXHs

Responding to the footage, Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: „Refusing to even look at an image of a child suffering because of Conservative cuts to the NHS is a new low for Boris Johnson. It’s clear he could not care less.

„Don’t give this disgrace of a man five more years of driving our NHS into the ground. Sick toddlers like Jack deserve so much better.“