THURROCK MP Jackie Doyle-Price has poured scorn on a campaign groups petition to “save the NHS” claiming only half of the 2,400 signatures were real.

Shortly after May’s general election the People’s NHS delivered a 2,400 signature petition to Ms Doyle-Price to demand that the NHS be free from TTIP and to halt the “sell-off” of the NHS.

The MP has written to all those who signed the petition to tell them they have been misled, only to receive calls from the public who believed that they were signing a petition about the closure of the Grays walk in centre.

Ms Doyle-Price said: “The People’s NHS campaign is wilful deception designed to scare the public for nakedly partisan purposes. The campaign is nothing but a selection of lies.

“Firstly there were only 1,200 signatures, half of what was claimed. It appears that they photocopied the pages in order to double count.

“Secondly, the petition referred to the NHS being sold off. Nothing is being sold. This is a deliberate lie designed to scare people.

“Thirdly, having contacted those who did sign the petition in order to put the record straight, constituents have called my office to tell me that they were invited to sign a petition to save the walk in centre. The petition made no mention of the walk in centre.

“I think the public needs to understand that these people are completely dishonest and dishonourable. During the election they erected posters in people’s gardens without permission.

“I am sorry to say that the Labour Parliamentary candidate supported this poster campaign. I would like to invite both the Labour Party and UKIP to disassociate themselves from this group. Those of us who are working hard to improve our local health services are being badly served by these scaremongers.”