British rock singer Sir Rod Stewart made a surprise phone call to a live Sky News programme on Thursday to lambast the "ridiculous" state of the National Health Service, urge the government to stand down and give the opposition Labour Party a chance.
Stewart, known for hits including Maggie May and Sailing, called in to a Sky News programme that had been taking calls from members of the public about the crisis in the NHS.
"This is heartbreaking for the nurses," he said. "It really is heartbreaking. In all my years of living in this country, I've never seen it so bad."
The state-funded NHS, until recently a source of pride for many Britons, is under severe strain after years of underinvestment and the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, prompting nurses and other staff to take unprecedented strike action.
"I think this government should stand down now, and give the Labour Party a go at it," said Stewart, 78, noting that he had been a Conservative for a long time.
Recent opinion polls have given Labour a strong lead over the Conservatives after a year in which the party removed two prime ministers and Britons struggled with a crisis in the cost of living.
The party has been in power since 2010.
Stewart also said it was "ridiculous" that he had checked into an empty private clinic for a health scan on Wednesday when there were so many other patients "dying because they cannot get scans"
He then offered to pay for 10 or 20 health scans for members of the public and hoped others who could do so would follow his lead.
"I don't need the publicity. I just want to do some good things," he said, before ending the call by singing the opening lyrics to Maggie May.
"Wake up Maggie, I think I've got something to say to you," he sang in his trademark raspy voice.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Haltia.ai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Arto%20Bendiken%20and%20Talal%20Thabet%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20About%20%241.7%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self%2C%20family%20and%20friends%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained
Defined Benefit Plan (DB)
A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.
Defined Contribution Plan (DC)
A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
more from Janine di Giovanni
