A TORY MSP has been blasted for a "dreadful" interview on the SNP ’s £1 billion NHS recovery plan.
Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said Annie Wells' comments show "just how little substance there is from the opposition".
In an interview on The Nine, Wells criticised the Scottish Government's NHS recovery plan for containing a lot of items which are “from manifesto pledges which the SNP made earlier this year”.
The Tories' health spokeswoman also took issue with the fact that the NHS recovery plan does not contain “one mention in there of long Covid, not one mention of long Covid”.
Under “Key Risks”, the NHS recovery plan issued by the Scottish Government says it will address the “longer term impact of Covid-19 on the health of the population” and the “impacts of unmet and unidentified health and care needs/ demands on delivery systems and partners”.
It also mentions potential “increased Covid-related pressures on the system” in the future and “high levels of uncertainty” around what these may be.
Wells said the Tory NHS plan would commit £600 million to Covid recovery.
BBC host James Cook asked: “Just to be clear, are you saying overall, the Scottish Tories would commit to spending more money than £1bn on an NHS recovery plan?”
Wells responded: “We can’t put a figure on how much we’re going to spend or where we’re going to generate that.”
WATCH: Tory MSP Annie Wells's SNP attack torn apart in car crash BBC interview
Yousaf hit out at Wells for lack of detail on her party's spending plans. He said: "This dreadful interview from @AnnieWellsMSP is a display of just how little substance there is from the Opposition. Their entire starting point is 'SNP Bad'. When pushed to account for their spending plans for NHS, she can't. Apparently the money will just magically materialise."
"Then on the Pandemic (Annie is main Opposition Health Spokesperson) there is no coherence whatsoever.
"No strategy, no ideas, not even a hint of a suggestion of what needs done to control transmission of the virus. Thank goodness these folk are nowhere near decision making."
Then on the Pandemic (Annie is main Opposition Health Spokesperson) there is no coherence whatsoever. No strategy, no ideas, not even a hint of a suggestion of what needs done to control transmission of the virus.
— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) August 26, 2021
Thank goodness these folk are nowhere near decision making pic.twitter.com/ELsyBGARgB
Cook, the journalist who questioned Wells, hit out at a tweet from the Scottish Tories account after the interview.
It read: "Nicola Sturgeon seems unwilling to give up control on people's lives. The SNP are considering stricter Covid restrictions, despite the success of Scotland and the UK’s vaccine scheme."
Cook said: "How to reconcile this tweet with the answer the party’s health spokesperson @AnnieWellsMSP gave me on this topic last night? She said “…we need to check hospitalisation numbers as well. If they start to increase sharply we need to look at doing something, absolutely.”
How to reconcile this tweet with the answer the party’s health spokesperson @AnnieWellsMSP gave me on this topic last night? She said “…we need to check hospitalisation numbers as well. If they start to increase sharply we need to look at doing something, absolutely.” https://t.co/lLS9TaAfX4
— James Cook (@BBCJamesCook) August 26, 2021
SNP councillor Bailie Norman MacLeod responded: "Excellent point James – please be careful in case you get into trouble for telling it how it is!"
Roberto Tommaso said: "You confuse the @ScotTories with a party that care about being credible or consistent."
SNP councillor Craig Walker added: "Very easy to reconcile @BBCJamesCook the @ScotTories think the people of Scotland are daft. They say anything they think people want to hear, they lie just like their bosses in London. I'm sure you know that though as do the people of Scotland."
And Silas McGilvray said: "Scottish Tory messaging and criticism is completely incoherent, as well as everything else."
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