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Clip of Boris Johnson promising free hospital parking goes viral as fees hit £146 million

A clip of Boris Johnson saying the Tories have delivered free hospital parking has been making the rounds on social media after yearly charges hit £146 million.

NHS England’s 2022/23 estates return information collection shows trusts’ gross income from patients’ and visitors’ parking was up 50 per cent on the previous year.

All told it is the equivalent of £400,000 spent in hospital car parks every day!

Meanwhile, car parking fees paid by hospital staff soared more than eight-fold compared to the previous year, from £5.6 million in 2021/22 to £46.7 million in 2022/23.

The Tories’ 2019 election manifesto vowed to “end unfair hospital car parking charges” by making parking free for those in greatest need.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Johnson said his party has “ensured there will be free hospital car parking for everybody who attends a hospital” in a speech that was corrected by Peter Stefanovic in his most viral video to date.

The promise has been making the rounds on social media again, with Carol Vorderman posting:

“The Tories of Today lie with impunity (meaning…with freedom from punishment, harm or loss)”.

Watch the clip in full below:

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Jack Peat

Jack is a business and economics journalist and the founder of The London Economic (TLE). He has contributed articles to VICE, Huffington Post and Independent and is a published author. Jack read History at the University of Wales, Bangor and has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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