Boris Johnson faces flak for snatching away reporter’s phone to avoid looking at sick boy’s photo

London: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson came under sharp criticism on Monday after he snatched away a reporter’s phone and put it in his pocket. Johnson took away the reporter’s phone after he tried to show him a picture of a four-year-old sick boy lying on the floor of a hospital while waiting for treatment.

The incident took place when the British PM was being interviewed about the state of affairs in Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) system ahead of the general elections in the United Kingdom, which is scheduled to be held on December 12, The Washington Post reported.

ITV’s political correspondent, Joe Pike also shared the video of the incident that took place on Monday.

“Tried to show @BorisJohnson the picture of Jack Williment-Barr. The 4-year-old with suspected pneumonia forced to lie on a pile of coats on the floor of a Leeds hospital. The prime minister grabbed my phone and put it in his pocket,” Pike wrote on Twitter.

The video, which garnered over one million views on social media in just a couple of hours, invited huge flak.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who accused the prime minister of not caring about the NHS crisis and its impact on the sick and vulnerable, tweeted: “He just doesn’t care.”

In the video, prime minister can be seen refusing to look at the photo, while saying that he had not seen it but “had been told about it by the BBC”.

Jonhson, however, later looked at the picture and said, “It’s a terrible terrible photo, and I apologise obviously to the families and all those having a terrible time in the NHS.” “I have every sympathy with families,” he added.