Halton MP Derek Twigg has quizzed Rishi Sunak about NHS waiting times, asking whether the PM was ‘ashamed’ of people ‘needlessly dying on his watch’.

Mr Twigg was speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, where he claimed waiting lists had grown to the extent that people were losing their lives while waiting for life-saving treatment.

Speaking in the chamber, Mr Twigg said: “In the 1990s, under the Conservative Government, people were dying because of the length of time they were on NHS waiting lists.

In 2023, we are seeing an increasing number of people dying while they are on NHS waiting lists before getting treatment. Is the Prime Minister ashamed that people are dying needlessly on his watch?”

The Prime Minister replied that waiting lists had been impacted 'signficantly' by the pandemic.

He said: “That is why we have put record funding in place to help to address that, including innovations such as surgical hubs, same-day emergency care, virtual wards and such like.”

But Mr Sunak also pointed the finger of blame at striking doctors, suggesting that if Mr Twigg wanted to make the issue ‘emotional’ he should be aiming criticism in their direction, which saw Mr Twigg shaking his head in response.

The PM said: “I would gently point out to the honourable gentleman that, in England, part of the reason that waiting lists are not coming down as fast we would like is the strike action by doctors - something that is supported by him and his colleagues, who have stood on the picket lines ensuring that patients cannot get access to care.

"It is also him and his party who are saying that they will repeal the laws we have put in place that will guarantee patients safe access to medical treatment in the event of industrial action.

“If he wants to make this issue emotional, he should tell people why he believes that patients should be deprived of access to lifesaving care because of industrial action.”