West Cumbrian MP Jamie Reed has launched a scathing attack on Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt after he cancelled a planned meeting with Cumbrian hospital campaigners.

The Secretary of State, who has said he is "seriously considering" running for leadership of the Conservative party, gave less than 24 hours notice that he was postponing the meeting.

Tomorrow's meeting was arranged after Mr Hunt refused to visit Mr Reed’s constituency to see for himself the unique challenges facing the NHS in north and west Cumbria.

A delegation of health campaigners, led by the Labour MP, were instead ready to travelling to London to set out their case.

However, following the Brexit vote and David Cameron's resignation, Mr Hunt's diary secretary wrote to the Copeland MP to cancel the meeting, stating: "Jeremy is likely to have some urgent business”.

He instead suggested it be rescheduled next week.

Mr Reed condemned the decision, saying: “if this meeting has been cancelled, at such short notice, so that the Health Secretary can focus on his much-publicised personal ambitions, then this will be seen by my community as the insult it surely is.”

Mr Reed still plans to lead health campaigners to the Department of Health tomorrow, where they will hand deliver a letter for the Health Secretary and meet with Ben Gummer MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Care Quality.

Mr Reed, who is now demanding Mr Hunt reimburses train fares, said: “First Jeremy Hunt refused to come to us, despite visiting Lancaster recently, so we planned to go to him.

"Now he has cancelled our meeting. Local hospital campaigners have put considerable effort into planning for the meeting, and they have bought their tickets to make the 12-hour round trip to London.

“Here in west Cumbria, campaigners, patients, staff, families and the whole community are working together to build a bright future for our local health services. Jeremy Hunt cannot and must not continue to ignore our calls for Government to provide the resources that we need.”