MORE pharmacies will be forced to close unless the Tory government provides urgently needed funding for the austerity-hit sector, industry leaders have warned.

Worsening staffing shortfalls have led to many dispensers shutting their doors for good since 2015 following a big funding cut, Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies chief Leyla Hannbeck said on Monday.

The warning came before Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced plans today to allow patients to obtain prescription medicines and oral contraception directly from pharmacies under a blueprint to ease the pressure on GP appointments.