Morgan attacks Tory MRSA 'piffle'

Mr Howard stands accused of talking 'piffle' about MRSA

First Minister Rhodri Morgan has accused Conservative leader Michael Howard of scaring patients with "unscientific piffle" over MRSA.

Mr Morgan also said Mr Howard was "hiding behind" the death of his mother-in-law from the hospital infection when challenged about it.

The first minister made the attack in an interview with website ePolitix.com.

Conservative Welsh assembly member Alun Cairns called the comments "outrageous" and "underhand".

During the interview, Mr Morgan labelled the Tory campaign for cleaner hospitals "absurd", saying it was "all about simply telling lies to to the British people about MRSA levels".

"It is pure scaremongering without a shred of scientific evidence behind it," he added.

"Michael Howard doesn't understand anything about MRSA at all and whenever he is challenged about it all he does is hide behind the fact that Sandra Paul's mother died of MRSA.

The Conservatives have called Mr Morgan's comments 'outrageous'

"That is not a substitute for scientific evidence.

"It does not entitle Michael Howard to talk unscientific piffle about MRSA and to try to scare Welsh patients from going into hospital to have their treatments."

Mr Cairns, who is contesting the Vale of Glamorgan parliamentary seat, said: "These are outrageous comments and all we have come to expect from the first minister.

"I would call on the prime minister to distance himself from such underhand comments."

Mr Morgan went on to accuse the Tories of using "wildly inaccurate" figures on MRSA and criticised his plans to bring back matrons to wards.

"Howard seems to think it is something to do with this retro-fetishism about bringing back matron which seems to appeal to a lot of public school boys for reasons I don't understand," the first minister said.

A spokesman for Plaid Cymru called Mr Morgan's attack a "tactic to divert attention away from the serious problems in our health service".

"New Labour have been in denial over the year-on-year increase in the number of patients waiting to receive treatment," he added.

"It's time that New Labour stopped their childish behaviour and actually put their minds to solving the serious problems facing Wales."

Liberal Democrat candidate for the Vale of Glamorgan Mark Hooper said: "This undignified name-calling is the reason why people are turned off from politics.

"It's a shame that the two old parties are content to throw mud at each other rather than putting forward positive proposals to improve the lives of people in Wales.

"People want to hear about the positive ideas we are putting forward - like scrapping tuition fees, introducing free personal care for the elderly and getting rid of the unfair council tax."