Just hours before polls opened on general election day, independent candidate in Islington North Jeremy Corbyn sent a final salvo to his Labour Party opponent Praful Nargund. He pulled no punches, and showed exactly why the people of the constituency must re-elect him.
Praful Nargund: when a choice is no choice at all
As the Canary’s James Wright has been documenting, Nargund has been heavily involved in private healthcare. He was director of Create Health from March 2015 to December 2023. Documents show Create Health made over £16m in profit from UK patients in just nine months while Nargund was director.
Comments also surfaced from Nargund in 2015 that raises more questions over his suitability to have power over our NHS as an MP. He said:
Privatisation of healthcare is very, very important and it’s about what the private sector can do to prove its worth to the public sector
Or rather, as Swindon summed up for the Canary:
The choice in Islington North couldn’t possibly be any clearer.
An assiduous constituency representative with a proven track record of delivering for the many, or a self-serving, Starmer-imposed mountebank that believes the “privatisation of healthcare is very, very important”, for the money.
An accomplished and genuinely popular man whose heart has been firmly placed in the middle of Islington North for some five decades, or a private health entrepreneur with the likability of vegetarian bacon that would privatise your heart, lungs, retinas, and reproductive organs for a guaranteed place in Keir Starmer’s “changed” Labour cabinet.
We only know a lot of this information thanks to the tireless work of the X account (and friend of the Canary) Red Collective, who has been digging into Nargund’s background.
Now, Corbyn himself has hit back – and he did so hours before the general election.
What does Nargund have to hide, asks Corbyn?
In a video posted on his social media, Corbyn said:
Public debate is what an election is all about. Voters deserve to know who they’re voting for. I’m not surprised that local people have expressed concerns that the Labour candidate is dodging scrutiny of the enormous profits he has made from his private health businesses, money that could have gone to frontline care in our National Health Service.
The Labour candidate has said he believes, and I quote, that the privatisation of healthcare is very, very important. Privatisation of healthcare is very, very important. I say that the privatisation of healthcare is wrong, expensive and damaging to our NHS.
What does Labour’s candidate in Islington North have to hide? pic.twitter.com/brRmatN1i3
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) July 3, 2024
Clearly, Nargund would prefer to subtweet Corbyn as opposed to actually debate him. Because a few hours later, he put out this:
I am a proud supporter of the NHS.
I come from an NHS family and firmly believe in ensuring it remains free at the point of use. 🧑⚕️I will fight for shorter waiting lists, protect our local maternity unit, and push for an MRI scanner at the Whittington hospital.
Only by… https://t.co/oEfQ3AuHEN
— Praful Nargund (@prafulnargund) July 3, 2024
Red Collective noted that:
Islington… this fraudster is now openly taking the piss out of you.
I'm sorry to be blunt but he's dodged your questions at hustings, closed his comments to your concerns and now claims to support the NHS, after milking literally millions from it.
He's taking you for fools. https://t.co/VvwwJywfkW
— Red Collective (@RedCollectiveUK) July 3, 2024
Islington North: please just vote Corbyn
So, as Corbyn summed up:
I say you are not supporting our NHS if you’re taking money out of our NHS. You’re not supporting healthcare. You are making money out of the misery and problems that people face.
People in Islington North do not support healthcare privatisation or profiteering from health contracts within our NHS. We want an NHS run by and for the public, not for the profits of multimillionaires. No wonder the imposed Labour candidate doesn’t want his view or his profits from private healthcare contracts held up to public scrutiny.
Those seeking public office should treat the people they want to represent with honesty, openness and respect. Listening to people, taking their questions and being held accountable is what being an MP is all about. It’s been an honour to represent the people of Islington North and to stand up for a fully public NHS.
Amen to that, Jeremy. The Canary hopes voters in Islington North do the right thing today, and re-elect Corbyn as their new, independent MP.
Featured image via Jeremy Corbyn – X
