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Theresa May has had to make an immediate grovelling apology in the House of Commons after she mocked a Labour MP who was absent for medical reasons.

The Prime Minister made the gaffe as she tore into Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner, who was missing from her seat at Prime Minister's Questions today.

After shouts from Labour MPs, she realised the top member of Jeremy Corbyn 's team was absent for medical treatment.

"Oh I’m… I do apologise… I, no I… I didn’t realise, Mr Speaker," the Prime Minister said.

"I did not realise the Shadow Education Secretary was herself undergoing medical treatment. I apologise unreservedly for that comment."

She had been ready to mock Ms Rayner for saying Labour's ambitious investment plans were "s*** or bust" - meaning "all or nothing".

Mrs May said at PMQs : "What do we know about the Labour Party 's economic policies?

"We were told all about them from the description from the Shadow Education Secretary - who I see is not in her place on the front bench today."

A source close to Ms Rayner said Tory whips were aware that she was away because of an arrangement known as "pairing", where a Tory stands out of a vote to match a Labour MP who is unwell and vice versa.

The source confirmed Ms Rayner was on medical leave this week, but declined to comment on the nature of the treatment, or whether she was in hospital.

After stuttering into her apology, the embarrassed Tory leader nonetheless made her point.

Mrs May continued: "But I do have to say that she did describe the economic policies of the Labour Party in unparliamentary terms.

(Image: PA)

"It did include the word ‘bust’ - she did say the Labour party’s economic policy was high risk.

"That means high risk for taxpayers, high risk for jobs, and high risk for our NHS. And that's a risk we will never let them take."

Asked why Mrs May was not aware that Ms Rayner was absent because she was unwell, a Number 10 spokesman said: “I have no information on that. I don’t know whether the whips were informed or not.”

Asked if the Tory whips were informed, Jeremy Corbyn’s spokesman said: “As far as I’m aware they were. She’s off sick this week. I think she’ll be back next week.”

It came as Jeremy Corbyn tore into Mrs May over the NHS winter crisis at their first PMQs clash since Christmas.

Labour's leader accused the Prime Minister of "rewarding" Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt for failure by adding social care to his job title and allowing NHS privatisation that is "feathering the nests of shareholders"

"Funds have been increasingly syphoned off into private companies - including in the Health Secretary’s area of Surrey," he said.

He added: "Virgin Care got £200m worth of contracts in the last year alone, 50% up on the year before.

(Image: PA)

"It’s her policies that are pushing the NHS into crisis.

"Tax cuts for the super rich and big business are paid for by longer waiting lists, ambulance delays, staff shortages and cuts to social care

"Creeping privatisation is dragging our NHS down."

A furious Mrs May hit back, saying there were more A&E attendances, more doctors, more nurses and more operations under the Tories.

She repeated her claim that the NHS was "better prepared than ever" for the winter crisis despite 55,000 operations being postponed for lack of resources.

And she added it was Labour - not the Tories - who oversaw more private involvement in the NHS.

"It’s a first class NHS that has been identified as the number one health system in the world," she said - better than Australia, the Netherlands, Canada, Sweden, France, Germany, and the US.

But Mr Corbyn raised the case of an 82-year-old woman who spent 13 hours on a trolley in a hospital corridor, saying: "This is not an isolated case.

"Does the Prime Minister really believe the NHS is better prepared than ever for the crisis it is now going through?"

He also claimed: "She wanted to sack the Health Secretary last week but was too weak to do it."

And he added: "The Health Secretary, during his occupation of her office to keep his job, said he won’t abandon the ship.

"Isn’t that an admission that under his captaincy the ship is indeed sinking?"