This archive report was first published on 19 September 2019.
On September 18, 2019, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced intense scrutiny after being filmed lying to the father of a sick child during a hospital visit.
The incident occurred at a London hospital, where Johnson was visiting patients. The father, identified as Omar Salem, an activist for the main opposition Labour Party, confronted Johnson about cuts to health funding and criticized him for using the visit as a 'press opportunity.'
Johnson responded by telling the father that 'there's no press here,' despite the presence of media personnel filming the interaction.
The father retorted, 'What do you mean there's no press here—who are these people?' as Johnson struggled to respond.
Clips of the footage sparked a storm on social media, with many commentators accusing Johnson of lying during the interaction.
Johnson later took to Twitter to address the incident, stating, 'I'm glad this gentleman told me his problems. This isn't an embarrassment; this is part of my job. It doesn't matter if they agree with me.'
The incident comes as Johnson is facing another controversy, with the UK's Supreme Court hearing accusations that he is the 'father of lies' over his decision to suspend the parliament.
