Piers Morgan fumes over plans to axe free hospital parking for NHS staff

8 July 2020, 11:44 | Updated: 8 July 2020, 14:04

Piers Morgan rages over decision to scrap free hospital parking for NHS workers

By Polly Foreman

The government have announced plans to scrap free parking for NHS staff in England as the pandemic eases.

Piers Morgan has hit out at plans to scrap free hospital parking for NHS staff, saying it's an 'utterly disgusting' way to treat those who've risked their lives during the coronavirus pandemic.

On today's episode Good Morning Britain, he and Susanna Reid were discussing the government plan to axe the initiative.

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He said: "For years we’ve said on this programme this shouldn’t be happening anyway.

"It seems to me utterly ridiculous that doctors and nurses and surgeons, everybody else in the health care system have to pay for the privilege of going to hospitals to save our lives.

"This struck me as completely ridiculous."

He added: "And particularly obscene when a global pandemic hits this country and they’re risking their lives.

"We know that several hundred NHS workers have died risking their lives for us.

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"What’s their reward? We get to July and the first wave appears to have thankfully calmed down  

"Their reward is they’re now going to start charging, this was in the iNewspaper as an exclusive last night."

"They’re going to start charging all the people who work in our health system again for parking in hospitals. 

"So you’re not only going to risk your life and there may be another wave coming, we don’t know.

"Not only do you have to risk your life to have to pay for the privilege."

"This reminds me of the NHS surcharge we slapped on migrant workers."

"You can pay to use the health service that you are helping to function.

"It’s utterly disgusting."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced in March that the government would cover the cost of free parking for NHS staff 'going above and beyond every day' in England.

However, the Department of Health has now said that free parking will continue only for "key patient groups and NHS staff in certain circumstances" as the pandemic eases.

When questioned about the issue by Keir Starmer during PMQ's today, Boris Johnson refused to guarantee that free parking would continue for NHS staff.

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