Wycombe’s MP has slammed a Labour councillor for blaming the NHS’s failure to hit A&E targets on “Tory austerity and wider cuts”.

This week Wycombe district councillor Khalil Ahmed called for MP Steve Baker to “speak out” after “ministerial incompetence” led to staff shortages.

However Mr Baker labelled Cllr Ahmed as “incompetent” – adding: “He obviously doesn’t understand the issues facing the NHS well enough to take his own initiative”.

The news comes after NHS figures revealed Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust did not meet its target to see 95 per cent of people attending A&E within four hours in January.

Mr Baker said: “At a time when the Urgent Treatment Centre has opened at Wycombe Hospital,  all Jeremy Corbyn’s incompetent candidate can do is to forward a press release from his Party HQ in London without even deleting the text correctly.

“He obviously doesn’t understand the issues facing the NHS well enough to take his own initiative. People deserve better.”

However, Cllr Ahmed hit back – criticising the MP for resorting to “personal insults”.

He said: “Clearly we have touched a nerve to receive such a rapid and tetchy response.

“I can only assume our MP is confusing the new Urgent Care treatment centre for a fully functioning A&E department.

“This is only a small part of what our town hospital needs. There is no need to descend to personal insults – what a sad reflection this is of our town’s current representation.”