A Conservative Party official apologises and donates after a misleading tweet.

Lee Anderson, the deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, has issued a public apology to Dr. Tom Dolphin for a misleading social media post, offering his “sincerest apologies” for any distress it may have caused. The misleading post was related to the ongoing junior doctor strike. Along with his apology, Anderson has agreed to make a charitable donation of £1,870 to the British Medical Association (BMA) strike fund as compensation for any upset he may have caused.

On October 6, Mr. Anderson responded to a Mail Online article about Dr. Dolphin, who had reportedly “boasted of charging the NHS for a strike cover shift.” In a tweet, Dr. Dolphin clarified that, as a consultant, he had been covering for striking junior doctors but had not participated in the strike himself on that particular occasion.

On Sunday, Anderson posted a message to admit that his previous words had been misleading. He acknowledged that Dr. Dolphin had donated his pay from the covered shift to the BMA strike fund, and despite not agreeing with the strikes, he viewed this as an unselfish act. In light of this, he pledged to make a similar contribution to the fund.

Dr. Dolphin responded to the apology by thanking Lee Anderson for his “very gracious apology” and appreciating the donation. He expressed hope that this gesture would inspire others to contribute to the strike fund.

The BMA, in response, mentioned that doctors had been “repeatedly misrepresented by the government during this industrial dispute” and welcomed the correction of the false claims about Dr. Dolphin. The ongoing dispute among junior doctors revolves around issues of pay and working conditions in the NHS in England. Recent talks to address the dispute were described as “constructive.”