Kate Garraway skewered the politician (Image: ITV)
Presenter came to blows with a Labour MP on on Friday as she grilled her over the NHS England changes. The ITV breakfast show welcomed on Minister of State for Secondary Care, Karin Smyth, as the host and her co-star Rob Rinder questioned her about the government’s “biggest shake up in over a decade”.
It comes as it was announced that 9,500 jobs will be at risk within the . Kate asked: “So I guess, how worried are you that suddenly, inevitably, which economists are already saying this morning, Rachel Reeves is then going to have to cut public spending?”
Karin Smyth appeared on GMB (Image: ITV)
The MP replied: “We are worried. That’s why we made it number one to grow the economy, and it’s going to take time. The Prime Minister has always talked about a decade of national renewal.”
That was when Kate cut the politician off, saying: “But we’re not going to see growth for a decade. I’m sorry to interrupt you, but that is concerning.”
Ms Smyth responded, saying: “We will see changes in the economy. Of course, as we go we’ve already seen changes in the health service, we’ve seen more appointments…” but Kate cut her off once more, saying: “Sorry, I’m going to have to interrupt one more time, I promise.
“We know that a statement is coming up very soon and we know that there’s an announcement going to be made. Are you now fearful that there are going to have to be tightening of the belt, I think, is the nice way of putting it, cuts in public spending, which will impact the NHS and all those things you talked about?”
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Kate Garraway and Rob Rinder hosted Friday’s GMB (Image: ITV)
Ms Smyth replied: “We’ve already started that process, in what’s called the spending review, that every single department is being asked to look at its spending, to focus it on those key missions and getting back growth.
“And that’s, in part, what this announcement we’ve had today from about NHS England is about. It’s about changing the way that we spend taxpayers money to make sure that the things that they need to happen happen.”
Rob Rinder then interrupted as he said: “That’s exactly the point, just to be clear. I think the point is you are here to say you are scrapping NHS England because the buck stops with politicians and because work was being doubled up.
“Most people at home don’t really care about that. What they’re worried about it that there are record numbers of people waiting 12 hours in A&E in January and the NHS is still currently failing to hit its targets.”