Jess Phillips: I got better NHS treatment because of my Gaza stance

To the new Labour government, where the spotlight is on Jess Phillips and her rather extraordinary revelation. It transpires that in a recent ‘in conversation’ event, Phillips rather overshared – admitting to skipping a choc-a-bloc NHS queue because of, er, how she voted on a Gaza ceasefire. When that became a secret hack to better healthcare, Mr S can’t quite recall…

The MP for Birmingham Yardley, recounting her special treatment at London’s Kiln Theatre, told an enraptured audience of a distressing incident in which she had trouble breathing. Rushed to hospital, Phillips described scenes of chaos in the emergency department, claiming: ‘I have genuinely seen better facilities, health facilities, in war zones, in developing countries around the world.’ Crikey. Possibly a matter for the area’s MP, perhaps?

The part-time podcaster finally got to the front of the queue – but only for two reasons unique to her, she boasted. ‘I got through because of who I am’, Phillips modestly revealed.