SCOTS comic Janey Godley has torn into former prime minister Liz Truss after reports said she considered ending cancer care on the NHS.
Godley, who has often spoken publicly about her own battles with the disease, made a video from the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, where she is receiving treatment for peritoneal cancer, which occurs in the thin layer of tissue lining the inside of the abdomen.
It came after reports said that, in a new biography penned by Anthony Seldon, Truss is alleged to have floated the idea of cutting cancer treatment from the NHS in a bid to balance the books.
Seldon’s book, Truss at 10: How Not to Be a Prime Minister, alleges that Alex Boyd, one of the former Tory leader’s advisers, had asked: “Is she being serious?”
Others, Seldon reported, said she had “lost the plot”.
The suggestion of cutting cancer care was said to have come as Truss, who resigned after 49 days in office, and her even more short-lived chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng desperately looked to cut public spending to make up for the £45 billion in unfunded tax cuts they had announced, plunging the UK into financial crisis.
Reacting to the news, Godley took to social media to post a heartfelt video about her own cancer experience.
The comic said: “It’s in the news the day that one of the proposals she made was to stop cancer treatment to fill the financial black hole.
“I have absolutely no words. Absolutely. Only a Tory would come up with the idea of stopping cancer treatment, to fill a black hole.
“What are we going to do in the NHS if we don't get cancer treatment? Thankfully, I'm in NHS Scotland who have been saving my life for the past four years.
“So, Liz Truss. I can see why a lettuce beat you.”
Liz Truss suggested taking cancer treatment off the NHS #liztruss pic.twitter.com/Ew7zBKnHRq
— Janey Godley (@JaneyGodley) August 27, 2024
Godley then shared another video mid-treatment, and said: “Thank god Liz Truss isnae the prime minister and managing to stop cancer treatment on the NHS.
“Thank you NHS Scotland and the Beatson.”
The comic also shared posts about the story, including one showing Truss laughing alongside the caption: “ …. And then I withdrew their cancer drugs.”
“ …. And then I withdrew their cancer drugs” pic.twitter.com/u2A8Pzymx5
— Rob B (@RobBfromDerby) August 27, 2024
Another post, from Dr Rachel Clarke, read: “Her blind ideology trashed the economy – and then she seriously expected cancer patients to pay for her incompetence. Truly a disgusting politician.”
Godley shared this and wrote: “Never forget.”
A spokesperson for Truss said that it was “completely untrue” that cutting cancer care had been considered. However, Kwarteng did not deny that it may have been spoken about as an idea.
“I wasn’t involved in any conversations about restricting healthcare, but that doesn’t mean the prime minister and her team didn’t discuss this,” he told the Independent.
