We, the people of the United Kingdom, request that Ed Miliband, leader of the opposition, officially ask the Prime Minister to provide evidence to support his claim that patients drank from 'dirty vases' at Stafford hospital.  The Prime Minister, who reiterated his uncorroborated slur just last week - during PMQ's on 9th July 2014 - has already caused great offence by broadcasting it during his Conservative Party Conference speech in 2013.  When the people of Stafford asked for proof, Downing Street stated that the Prime Minister was: ‘referring to well documented eyewitness accounts in his speech.’

We would like Mr Miliband to ask the Prime Minister which documents Downing Street is referring to, especially in view of the fact that Robert Francis, who conducted a public inquiry into events at Stafford hospital, states:

'I did not hear any direct evidence about any incident involving vases.  Such an incident is not directly reported in the Healthcare Commission (CCG) Report.  There was, however, much reference to patients drinking out of vases in the press. ' (Volume 1, page48, paragraph 3 of the Francis Report).

In spite of the offence caused by his conference speech and an outpouring of protest from the people of Stafford, Mr Cameron went on to repeat this uncorroborated allegation in response to one of Mr Miliband’s own questions about the NHS, during PMQ’s on 6th November 2013.  David Cameron shouted across the dispatch box that he was: “not going to take lectures from a Government who saw patients drinking out of vases.”  We feel that this slur has become a stick with which to beat not only Stafford but the NHS as a whole, making it easier to close local hospitals and facilitate the privatisation of our most cherished public institution.  We believe that the future direction of our NHS should be guided by proper evidence - not rumours.  This is why we are asking the leader of the opposition to question the Prime Minister and clear this matter up once and for all.