'THE hospitals are safe' was the message coming from the Secretary of State for Health as he visited the marginal Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency in a last minute bid to whip up Tory support.

After the damning Kirkup Report into the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, Jeremy Hunt quelled fears over the possible closure of hospitals across the region.

Speaking exclusively to the Gazette, Mr Hunt said: "The hospitals are safe and doing really well. There have been some real challenges - there was the terrible tragedy at Furness General but staff don't want their work turned into a political football."

The Surrey-based politician, who was visiting Morecambe and Lunesdale Tory candidate David Morris, was critical of Labour's claims that the Royal Lancaster Infirmary may close.

He said: "What the Labour Party have been doing has been a disgrace. We're promising more money for the NHS than Labour. 

"We have looked at the numbers and we're going to have a million more over seventies by the end of the next parliament and we want every one of them to be treated with dignity and respect.

"If we don't have a strong economy we won't have enough doctors and nurses in our NHS and we will have another tragedy."

Mr Hunt went on to say that the Morecambe Bay hospitals are 'turning a corner' thanks to the work Mr Morris has been doing since he won the Morecambe and Lunesdale seat in 2010 with a majority of 866.

But Labour candidate Amina Lone has called the Tory remarks into question.

Labour claim to have a 'leaked document' which shows that the Morecambe Bay Trust faces a deficit of £40million in 2015/16.

Amina Lone said: "This is shocking news that our local hospitals will be in a £40million cash crisis next year.

"People here are worried about the NHS. They tell me that they struggle to get doctors appointments, that the local A and E is in crisis and waiting lists are on the up.

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"A vote for Labour on Thursday is a vote to save the NHS. We will recruit an extra 20,000 nurses and 8,000 doctors with a £2.5 billion Time to Care fund paid for by the mansion tax. This will make a real difference to people here in Morecambe.”