Co-conspirators may remember Dr Simon Taylor, the Labour activist GP who spent weeks chasing after Brendan Clarke-Smith, compared the NHS to a war zone, had to be escorted out of Parliament, and at one point administered CPR to a mannequin on a high street. Guido wondered how Taylor had the time for all these stunts, given he’s still a practising doctor. What about his patients?

While Taylor is busy resuscitating dummies in the name of the Labour Party, the Care Quality Commission has reviewed his surgery up in Lincolnshire. Bad news: it has been rated “inadequate” and placed into special measures for the next six months. According to the report, Caskgate Street Surgery failed to keep patients safe, and staff  “did not have the information they needed to deliver safe care and treatment”. One of the main problems is the surgery is “short-staffed”…

Brendan Clarke-Smith said last night:

“Perhaps if their doctors spent more time focusing on their job and less time campaigning for the Labour Party in Bassetlaw (and lying about NHS provision) then they wouldn’t have gained such a dreadful rating…”

Looks like Brendan’s diagnosed the problem…

Dr Simon Taylor has been a busy man these past few weeks. Earlier in the month, Guido reported on his ITV News appearance, where the channel introduced Taylor simply as “a GP in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire”, and sat back as he ranted about the government’s handling of the NHS and claimed “It was easier to get patients seen in Afghanistan.” Completely overlooking the fact he’s been openly campaigning for Labour for at least five years…

Clearly Taylor’s growing fond of the limelight. Last night he was back on the airwaves, this time as an audience member for Sky News‘ “Can the NHS Survive?” panel discussion. Again, he compared the health service to a war zone, and again he was described only as “a military doctor”. The woman sat by his side, Josie Potts, also just happens to be a Labour councillor in Bassetlaw.

Maybe Sky News would be forgiven for overlooking Taylor’s campaigning if it was in the distant past. It isn’t. In fact, Simon has spent most of January obsessed with Bassetlaw MP Brendan Clarke-Smith and actively campaigning with the Labour candidate, Jo White. Last week he turned up in Parliament and had to be escorted out:

Where’s Brendan ? pic.twitter.com/hxmUSrdGUO

— Simon Taylor (@SimonTa95239529) January 18, 2023

Before that he filmed a bizarre stunt outside Clarke-Smith’s constituency office, where he gave CPR to a mannequin while sporting a Nye Bevan football shirt:

Of course, Taylor is perfectly free to record himself resuscitating dummies in the name of the Labour Party. It’s just useful context for viewers when he compares NHS hospitals to Afghanistan…