The punch that never was
Earlier today many senior political journalists reported that a Labour activist punched an aide to Conservative Health Secretary Matt Hancock while he was visiting a hospital in Leeds.
This did not happen.
Video footage shows Mr Hancock’s aide walking into the outstretched arm of a man who had previously been shouting at Mr Hancock.
Have video from Hancock leaving Leeds General just come through so you can see for yourself - doesn’t look like punch thrown, rather, one of Tory team walks into protestor’s arm, pretty grim encounter pic.twitter.com/hD1KwA72gG
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) December 9, 2019
Also to add on rumours circulating on Twitter, I didn’t see anyone punched and West Yorkshire Police say: “We are currently unaware of any reports of this nature but are seeking to verify.”
— Geri Scott (@Geri_E_L_Scott) December 9, 2019
This is what I saw, too. https://t.co/pPcnhexaK0
Mr Hancock was visiting Leeds General Infirmary after the Yorkshire Evening Post (and subsequently the Daily Mirror) published images of a four year-old boy with suspected pneumonia sleeping on the floor of the hospital because of a lack of bed space.
(The boy turned out not to have pneumonia, as the YEP story makes clear; an earlier version of this post left out the word "suspected".)
Was this helpful?
Full Fact fights for good, reliable information in the media, online, and in politics.