Cameron attacks Tory peer for 'grubby nurses' slur

Published on Saturday 1 March 2008 18:37

DAVID Cameron has publicly rebuked a Tory peer for his description of "grubby, drunken and promiscuous" nurses. The Conservative leader told Lord Mancroft to think before opening his mouth in future.

Cameron ordered his party's leader in the Lords, Lord Strathclyde, to let Lord Mancroft know how angry he was. During a debate in the House of Lords, Lord Mancroft claimed it was "a miracle" he was still alive after his experience of filthy wards and "slipshod and lazy" nurses when he was admitted to an NHS hospital in the West Country.

He alleged that nurses chatted to one another about their sex lives and alcohol intake in front of patients, some of whom they regarded as "a nuisance".

"The nurses who looked after me were mostly grubby – we are talking about dirty fingernails and hair – and were slipshod and lazy," he said. "Worst of all, they were drunken and promiscuous." They were "an accurate reflection of many young women in Britain today", claimed the peer.

Speaking at the Welsh Conservative conference in Llandudno today, Cameron said Lord Mancroft had been told in "no uncertain terms" that his views do not represent the party. "He should think more carefully before opening his mouth," said Cameron. "My experience of the NHS is 100% different. I disagree with what he said. It doesn't reflect the incredibly hard work that nurses do."