Jeremy Hunt accuses Stephen Hawking of 'pernicious falsehood' in NHS row

Health secretary reacts to physicist's claim that the Conservatives are trying to implement US-style health insurance system

Jeremy Hunt has accused Stephen Hawking of a "pernicious" lie after the physicist said it seemed the Tories were steering the UK towards a US-style health insurance system.

Hours after the health secretary was criticised for claiming Hawking was wrong in the row about the government's seven-day NHS plan, he leapt back into the fray with two tweets defending the Conservative party's record on the health service.