Minister Bustinduy points out Feijóo's "political clumsiness" and condemns his "priorities": "Questioning rights and freedoms"

The Government has come out in a rush to criticize the words of the leader of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, when he spoke of the "cancer" of absenteeism. After this qualification, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, asked about this matter at a press conference at the NATO summit, described the comment as "unfortunate". However, the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, went further and showed that the 'popular' had missed 60% of the votes in the Congress of Deputies.

In this context, the last to speak out has been the Minister of Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030, Pablo Bustinduy, who appeared live on 'La hora de la 1', where he condemned Feijóo's "political clumsiness" and conveyed what he considers to be the PP's "priorities", "cutting rights" for having embraced in recent weeks some of the speeches supported by the far-right Vox. 

"He is making clear what his political project is. Questioning rights and freedoms, threatening women's sexual and reproductive rights and making it very clear to workers what their priorities are," Bustinduy said. 

Bustinduy, sobre Feijóo: "Está dejando a las claras cuál es su proyecto político. Cuestionar derechos y libertades, amenazar los derechos sexuales y reproductivos de las mujeres y dejar bien claro a los trabajadores cuáles son sus prioridades" https://t.co/W2XU5eYbgg #LaHora9J pic.twitter.com/25h1EC67fj

— La Hora de La 1 (@LaHoraTVE) July 9, 2026

Likewise, regarding the alleged absenteeism that the 'popular' considers, he has stated: "In our country, the main problem affecting labor relations is that wages have to rise more (...) We have to intervene in the housing market."

Sánchez speaks at the NATO summit

Asked by journalists attending the press conference of the NATO summit, held in Ankara, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, commented on the words of the 'popular'.

"It is absolutely unfortunate to equate sick leave with cancer. It reflects his way of thinking," Sánchez expressed. 

Puente highlights Feijóo's "cancer" of labor absenteeism

The Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, on Wednesday lashed out at the leader of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, through a publication on X. The socialist leader questioned the PP president's criticisms of labor absenteeism and recalled the number of absences registered by Feijóo in Congress during the legislature.

In his message, Puente shared an image showing that the popular leader had accumulated 49 absences out of a total of 85 votes.  In addition, he recalled the episode in which Feijóo canceled several campaign events and his participation in a three-way electoral debate, alleging lumbago.

Subsequently, the minister published a second message on the same social network in which he insisted on his criticisms of the opposition leader. "The lumbago is what he said, we don't know if he had it. A blatant case of absenteeism," Puente wrote, using that episode to reproach Feijóo for his statements about sick leave and absenteeism at work.

Lo de la lumbalgia es lo que dijo, no sabemos si la tuvo. Un caso flagrante de absentismo. https://t.co/2Wzs4fNcMG

— Óscar Puente (@oscar_puente_) July 8, 2026