Actress and Tory critic Maxine Peake has hit out at critics who accused her of hypocrisy for being paid to appear in an NHS advert.
The star of hit TV law drama Silk faced criticism for allegedly pocketing a four figure fee of “taxpayers’ money” for voicing the NHS nurse recruitment commercial.
She has been a longtime defender of the NHS, campaigning against proposed budget cuts in Bolton where she is from and with the Labour Party against nationwide Conservative-led cuts to the NHS.
But over the weekend complaints against the ardent NHS supporter were reported in the Mail on Sunday, with Tory MP Simon Hart calling her actions “hypocritical”.
He said: “It is hypocritical to deliver attacks on the government for cutting public spending and then pocket taxpayers’ money to voice over an advertisement for more nurses.
“I’d have more respect for Maxine if she had forgone the fee and left it with the health service to recruit another nurse.”
But she has since hit back, saying she donated her fee to The Salford Foundation Trust, which supports young people in the area and for which she is a patron.
She also said that if she had refused the fee the money would not have gone into the NHS but to the commercial advertising agency.
She tweeted: “To clarify, I was not employed by the NHS but by an advertising agency who hold a pre-agreed budget for the whole of the campaign.
“I decided to donate my feel to The Salford Foundation Trust, of which I am a patron, who support children and young people in my area.
“I chose to support the trust as I believe strongly in the life-enhancing and life changing work they do.”
She also added sarcastically: “Thank you to The Mail on Sunday for allowing me to highlight the wonderful and tireless work of The Salford Foundation Trust.”
The actress asked anybody who wanted to donate to go to the trust’s website.
The post Silks actress Maxine Peake defends being paid to appear in NHS advert appeared first on Article Pub.
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