What is really going on in politics? Get our daily email briefing straight to your inbox Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

NHS spending on private healthcare providers has ­doubled under Tory rule.

The bill to taxpayers was £9billion in 2016/17, soaring from £4.1billion in 2009/10, figures uncovered by Labour reveal.

It comes after Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt this week told private hospitals they must urgently improve after inspectors found two in five failed safety standards.

Labour’s Shadow Health Minister Justin Madders accused Mr Hunt of “hypocrisy” and blasted the increase in outsourcing to the private sector as “unacceptable”.

He added: “Tory privatisation has no place in our health service and yet carries on unabated.”

(Image: Getty Images/Caiaimage)

Millions of pounds are paid out each year to NHS patients due to botched care in private hospitals.

The Department of Health insisted NHS spending has gone up and the amount going to private providers was “proportionally low”, at 8p per pound spent.