Labour MP 'steals idea to send ventilators to Ukraine so they can go to communist Cuba instead'

Peter Stevens
Thu, 30 Apr 2026 21:58:50 +0000

A Labour MP has been accused of stealing a man's idea to donate ventilators to Ukraine to instead send them to communist Cuba.

Steve Eccleshall, a retired policeman and volunteer with Driving Ukraine, said he wrote to Labour's Steve Witherden to ask for his help.

He said he asked Mr Witherden if he would help him secure the release of 40 unused ventilators from Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

A letter from the MP - part of the Socialist Campaign Group - three days later showed him making a similar request to the hospital, but asking for them to be donated to Cuba.

TRENDING

Stories

Videos

Your Say

Mr Eccleshall has now accused the MP for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr of plagiarism.

The Ukraine volunteer filed a complaint to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner in which he said he met both Mr Witherden and then-MS Russell George on February 6.

He said he presented his idea to the two men and explained the reason for the request.

The ventilators had been provided to help the hospital during the pandemic but had never been used due to compatibility issues, Mr Eccleshall said.

Mr Witherden shook his hand and said he would see what he could do, the former policeman said.

But Mr Eccleshall subsequently learned the MP had filed his own letter, in his capacity as chairman for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cuba, through an NHS source.

Mr Witherden's letter, seen by BBC Wales, claimed Donald Trump's oil ban on Cuba had "worsened a humanitarian crisis".

It also said he learned the country was in need of medical supplies when he visited in October.

LATEST IN WALES:

Motorhomes and campervan drivers granted £10 overnight parking at popular tourist spot

Girl, 10, shocked after discovering critically endangered Mexican creature under bridge in Wales

Watch the moment furious 77-year-old slaps traffic warden and threatens to 'lump' her

Similar visits to the communist country were made by left-wing activists, including Irish band Kneecap, the leader of Your Party, Jeremy Corbyn, and political commentator Hasan Piker.

Both Mr Eccleshall's letter and Mr Witherden's letter made similar points that while there were 40 ventilators, they were not compatible with the hospital's systems and were supplied by the Welsh Government during the Covid pandemic.

Eccleshall told BBC Wales: "There's a trust aspect - you are my MP, I've come to you with an idea. You said you'll help me, and within three days, you've stolen it.

"Even if he turned around on day one and said: 'Look, sorry, I've got a competing interest,' I wouldn't have been happy. But there wasn't much I could do about it."

He then accused Mr Witherden of stealing the "whole concept" and said he behaved dishonestly.

In a statement, the health board confirmed it had "received requests for the medical equipment in question to be considered for donation to Ukraine and Cuba".

"We are currently assessing the financial and governance implications of any potential donation as the items are currently valued as assets of the health board," it said.

"We will contact the Welsh Government following our internal review of these requests."

The health board also confirmed the ventilators were in a storage container and could not be used, although said the ophthalmic equipment requested is being considered for clinical use.

A Welsh Government spokesman confirmed approval was required to donate the assets, and that no formal request had been received from the health board.

GB News has approached the Labour Party and Mr Witherden for comment.