The Labour Deputy Leader candidate who still does shifts as A&E doctor

4 March 2020, 11:20 | Updated: 4 March 2020, 12:24

Rosena Allin-Khan still works as an A&E doctor, despite running to be Labour's Deputy Leader at next month's election.

The MP for Tooting told James O'Brien that when she won a by-election to win Sadiq Khan's old seat, she asked her hospital if she could continue to do shifts on a part-time basis.

She revealed: "I'm so proud of being an NHS frontline worker.

"I didn't have a plan to follow a career in politics. It found me by accident. I threw my hat in the ring when Sadiq Khan was elected as Mayor of London when I was working as a Junior Doctor at St Georges in Tooting.

"I asked if I become an MP, does it mean I can't work as a doctor again and if they said I couldn't, I wouldn't have thrown my hat in the ring.

"I happen to be a politician. But who I am is the person who puts on the scrubs, drinks my tea out of a polystyrene cup and gets in amongst it."

James pointed out that he knew you were allowed to run a hedge fund on the side when you were an MP, but not work as an A&E doctor.

Dr Allin-Khan pointed out: "This is very different. These shifts are 12 hours long and very unglamorous!"

Responding to the big story of the day, James asked, as a working A&E doctor, what she has changed in her life because of coronavirus.

She responded: "We're singing hand-washing songs in the morning before the kids go to school. I'm talking about the importance of hand-washing. I'm talking about the importance of not touching their face.

"But I'm also trying not to scaremonger, because you know what it's like on these parents WhatsApp groups. Everyone is really stressing out about it.

"I think it's important that we put the positive messages forward. I'm really proud of what our NHS is doing. It's really important that we follow advice - and as an A&E doctor, I know that."