Rod Stewart joins Sky News’ NHS crisis phone call to call for the resignation of the Tories

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Sir Rod Stewart, known as the ‘longtime Conservative’, has called on the government to step down over the NHS crisis.

Sir Rod surprised Sky News viewers when he joined a live phone call about the issue to say he had “never seen it this bad”, adding that the challenges facing nurses were “heartbreaking”.

“I myself have been a Tory for a long time but I think this government should stand down now and give Labor a chance to do so,” he told viewers on Thursday.

Sir Rod Stewart says he has supported the Conservative Party for a long time, but thinks it is time for Labor to go

(PA archive)

During the call he also offered to pay for 10 or 20 hospital checks after patients spoke of experiencing long NHS waiting lists.

The 78-year-old singer-songwriter phoned in the broadcaster’s “You Say” segment, which featured people sharing their healthcare experience, in an unscheduled appearance.

Sir Rudd said he attended a private clinic on Thursday which was essentially “empty” and was asked to call the show after hearing about the “ridiculous” situation in the NHS.

“There are people dying because they can’t get the tests done,” Sir Rudd said. “Now listen to me, I don’t need the publicity, I just want to do some good stuff and that, I think is a good thing. If other people follow me, I’d love it.”

Sarah Jane Mei was surprised when Sir Rod called out the programme

(Sky News)

He then called for rebuilding the NHS with “billions and billions” of pounds, before adding: “In all the years I’ve been in this country I’ve never seen it so bad… bloody change of government”.

Sir Rudd explained that he got into the show because he often had Sky News in the background while he worked on his model railway.

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Participation

He said he was a “big fan” of the broadcaster, before he broke into a rendition of his hit song “Maggie May” in 1971 on the phone.

He concluded, “I’m so proud to be British I just can’t take it that way.”

More than 10,000 ambulance staff will join nurses on strike next month, with unions escalating the strike.

The union GMB has announced that ambulance workers in eight services across the UK will launch new strikes on 6 February, 6 March and 20 March.

They will join tens of thousands of nurses who will walk out on February 6, after the Royal College of Nursing earlier announced further industrial strikes on that date.

It will be the first time nurses and ambulance staff have struck on the same day, with NHS leaders fearing staff and patients could be affected by the “long war of attrition” between government and unions.

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