Nick Ferrari ripped into Steve Barclay over recent ONS figures that paint a picture of an NHS in dire crisis.
Analysis by The Times shows 2022 marked the highest excess death toll since 1951, excluding the two years of the pandemic, with 50,000 more people dying than in 2019.
In the week ending December 30th, 9,517 deaths were registered in England and Wales, which is 1,592 more deaths than usual during Christmas week and 20.1 per cent above the five-year average.
Just 393 of the fatalities – or 4.1 per cent – were caused by Covid.
Putting the figures to Barclay, Ferrari said: “What for the love of god has your party been doing, for the last 13 years, with the NHS?”
The health secretary responded that the government “does not accept the figures”, to which Ferrari shot back:
“You don’t accept ONS figures?”
Watch the clip in full below: