Momentum urges people to chant “give them PPE” at 8pm

Left-wing Labour-backing organisation Momentum is urging supporters to chant “give them PPE” when they join the ‘Clap for our Carers’ applause at 8pm on Thursday.

In an email to members today, the group said: “With so many frontline healthcare workers still unable to access proper personal protective equipment (PPE), yesterday 80 health professionals signed an open letter outlining their concerns regarding the government’s handling of the pandemic.

“They’re asking that tonight at 8pm, instead of just applauding healthcare workers from our doorsteps, we chant “give them PPE”. Click below to join the Facebook event, invite your friends, and tap to share the image below on Twitter!”

A public Facebook event has been set up for the initiative. Called ‘Chant For PPE tonight, 8pm!’, it is hosted by Guardian writer Owen Jones and over 500 so far have said they are ‘going’ or ‘interested’.

At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Keir Starmer said the UK had been “slow into lockdown, slow on testing, slow on PPE and now slow to take up offers [of protective equipment] from firms”.

Labour said dozens of British companies had offered much-needed personal protective equipment but been “ignored” by government, with such 36 firms contacting the opposition party in a few days.

The TUC has called for a public inquiry looking into the “grotesque” failure to provide frontline workers with adequate PPE. The federation of trade unions has said it should be set up by the end of the year.