TORY Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt gave NHS staff a “kick in the teeth” just when they needed his support, Labour said yesterday as heated negotiations on further strikes continued into the night.

Leading an opposition day debate on the winter’s unprecedented strain on Accident and Emergency units, shadow health secretary Andy Burnham slammed Mr Hunt for making “inflammatory comments” about striking staff — saying Tories only had themselves to blame for the bitter pay dispute in the health service.

Mr Hunt took digs at health unions in a statement on Wednesday morning, saying that only 13 per cent had voted for strike action — despite the fact that many of his Tory colleagues would be disqualified as MPs if proposed new strike thresholds were applied to elections.