British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak admitted on Wednesday he had used private healthcare in the past, breaking weeks of silence over whether he had any experience with Britain’s state-run National Health Service which is in a state of crisis. Sunak has been repeatedly asked by journalists and Opposition lawmakers whether he uses the NHS or gets private treatment which offers a quicker service. Some critics have argued that Sunak, one of the wealthiest politicians in British history, is out of touch with those workers demanding higher wages to keep up with inflation and have doubted whether he could appreciate the strains the NHS is facing if he and his family did not use the service. “I am registered with an NHS GP (general practitioner), I have used independent healthcare in the past,” he told parliament during the weekly session of the Prime Minister’s questions. “I’m proud to come from an NHS family and that is why I am passionately committed to protecting it with more funding, more doctors and nurses and a clear plan to cut the waiting lists.”

Ambulance workers

Around 25,000 UK ambulance workers went on strike on Wednesday, walking out for the second time since December in an ongoing dispute with the government over pay.

The industrial action by paramedics, drivers and call handlers was the latest in a wave of strikes in recent months that has crippled the country’s rail network on some days and strained the UK’s overburdened public health system.

Officials have warned that the impact of Wednesday’s strike will be worse than the one held in December.