George Osborne booed at the Paralympics. Channel4 Paralympic coverage
Prime Minister David Cameron and the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne were greeted by booing crowds at the Paralympics yesterday as they attempted to boost their popularity by awarding medals at the Games.
David Cameron was the first to feel the dissatisfaction of the crowd as he was booed as soon as he was spotted on the big screen in the Aquatics Centre. He later awarded British teenager Ellie Simmonds her second gold medal.
A couple of hours later George Osborne was in the Olympic Stadium to award the 400m T38 medals and was met by a chorus of loud boos from the 80,000 strong capacity crowd (video below).
The government has come under fire recently from disabled rights and welfare groups for stripping up to half a million people of their disability benefits, as well as awarding a £400 million contract to assess “fit for work” assessments to Paralympic sponsor Atos.
Not all politicians have fared so badly at the Games, however, with ex-PM Gordon Brown receiving cheers from the crowd and the warmest reception of all going to London Mayor Boris Johnson who has helped oversee much of the building and execution of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
