Good Morning Britain’s Richard Madeley sparks outrage over remarks about doctors – as he’s branded ‘an absolute tool’
GOOD Morning Britain’s Richard Madeley sparked outrage over remarks about doctors – and has been branded “an absolute tool”.
The 67-year-old got into a heated discussion during today’s episode of the ITV breakfast show.
Richard, co-host Susanna Reid, 53, and journalists Ash Sarkar and Andrew Pierce were discussing the current junior doctor strikes.
The latest controversial walkout, lasting six days, started at 7am today, and will go on until Tuesday 9 January.
The medics have already walked out on 29 days in their bid for a 35 per cent pay rise, with critics warning the NHS faces it’s worst ever winter due to the walkouts.
It emerged yesterday that almost a million NHS appointments have been cancelled so far because of the strikes.
Richard said on Good Morning Britain: “What about the point that a lot of people make, which is that junior doctors are in effect apprentices, and lots of juniors in professions don’t get paid very much but over the horizon there are big bucks on offer.”
Sarkar didn’t agree with his comment and clapped back: “Just want to point out a fact that they’re not apprentices, they’re fully qualified.”
Susanna added: “And they’re not doctors in training as they were named by the health secretary last week.
“They’re fully qualified doctors. Those descriptions don’t apply to doctors, these are doctors, properly qualified doctors, who just happen to not be consultants.”
Those watching at home were fuming with Richard’s comments.
One wrote on X: “Richard Madeley calls himself a journalist. But he knows nothing. Thinks Junior Doctors are Apprentices. The man is a fool. He should apologise.”
A second chimed in: “@GMB do you not think you owe it to your viewers to have presenters that are properly informed on your show? I’ve NEVER once heard a Junior Doctor be called an apprentice.”
“If it’s true that Richard Madeley called junior doctors ‘apprentice doctors’, he should be removed from prime time television and put out to pasture. There’s no place for that kind of ignorance from someone like him who pretends to be informed,” a third said.
It’s not the first time he’s been criticised for his comments about doctors’ strikes recently.
Last month the presenter came under fire when he told the deputy co-chair of the British Medical Association, Dr Sumi Manirajan, that the union wouldn’t get their 35 per cent pay rise.
He told her: “You are not going to get 35%, a lot of people think you deserve it, but you are not going to get that, obviously.
“Average settlements in this country are around 8-8.5% so you are not going to get anywhere near 35%, let’s be realistic.”