Politics latest: Rishi Sunak under fire after Sky News captures encounter with ex-NHS

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was challenged by a former NHS worker as he walked through the centre of Winchester today.

The moment, filmed by Sky News, captures a woman passionately asking the prime minister why NHS strikes are so prevalent.

Trying to reassure her, Mr Sunak stops to explain that for two months last year, “we had two months with virtually no strikes in October and November”.

The woman responds: “Well, that’s fortunate.”

Mr Sunak says the waiting lists fell, which he claims proves “when there aren’t strikes, we really can make progress”.

The woman interrupts him, saying he could stop the strikes altogether.

“You could make it all go back to how it used to be where we had, if you had a problem you could go to the hospital.”

Mr Sunak – and those around her – then laugh.

He reiterates that all the NHS strikes (other than the dispute with junior doctors) have been resolved.

The pair then shake hands and the woman says “thank you”, but not before the woman makes one final plea to Mr Sunak.

The woman urges the PM not to close her local A&E department at Royal Hampshire County Hospital.

“Please don’t send the A&E to Basingstoke,” she says, explaining her daughter had recently “spent seven hours waiting” for medical treatment.