Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, speaking in response to the launch of a report from the Royal College of Physicians, said:

“This report is a damning indictment of Government policy. It confirms that the Tory Government is systematically underfunding the NHS.

“It is no use the Tories saying they are protecting the NHS. The evidence is all around us that is not true. It isn’t just from this report but also from lengthening waiting lists and waiting times for everything from ambulances, A&E treatments, through to cancer referral times and waits for elective surgery.

“For the last six years, Theresa May has been at the heart of a Tory Government whose policies are failing patients and failing the NHS. Patients deserve better than Tory failure – only Labour will stand up for the NHS.”