LABOUR's stewardship of the NHS left “a legacy of missed opportunities” according to Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle.

A Public Accounts Committee report found that GP provision still lags behind the national average in Burnley.

It also revealed that the gap in life expectancy between the poorest areas and the national average grew by seven per cent for men and 14 per cent for women over the 13 years of Labour Government.

Mr Birtwistle said: “Tackling health inequality only became a NHS priority in 2006, and primary care trusts were not required to report back on them until 2007.

"That is why in Burnley we have some of the lowest levels of GP provision in the country.”