Jeremy Hunt could face accusations of misleading Parliament over his repeated threat to impose new contracts on junior doctors – a power that it now seems the Health Secretary may not actually have.

Hunt has seemingly abandoned his hardline stance that new contracts would be forced on junior doctors, following the start of a high court legal challenge against the position today. The efforts to impose the contracts have led to unprecedented NHS strike action; his position has so far led to four strikes, with a fifth round of industrial action planned for next week.

Shadow Health Secretary Heidi Alexander said that the climbdown from Hunt shows his handling of the situation has led to “complete disarray”. She warned that Hunt must now clarify whether he has the powers to impose the contracts, and why, if not, he had taken a course of action that resulted in unnecessary strike action.

“The Tory Government’s approach to the new junior doctors’ contract now looks to be in complete disarray,” Alexander said.

“Government lawyers appear to be trying to rewrite history in an attempt to get Jeremy Hunt out of what could be a very significant legal problem.”

She also warned that if the legal challenge is upheld, the Jeremy Hunt’s repeated claims to MPs that the contracts would be imposed raises the possibility that he misled Parliament. She said:

“This revelation is crucial because junior doctors have entered into a period of unprecedented industrial action off the back of the Tories’ decision to impose the contract. Rather than trying to clarify the situation, Hunt has stayed quiet and refused to negotiate any further.

“His motives, judgement and competence are now being called into question. If Jeremy Hunt is now claiming he isn’t imposing the contract, then this also raises the prospect that he has misled Parliament.”

“Jeremy Hunt needs to urgently clarify whether or not he has the powers to impose a new contract. And if not, the Tories are going to have to answer to the thousands of patients and staff who have suffered months of distress and uncertainty because of the decisions they have taken.”

The apparent softening of the Tory Government’s line on the contracts comes in a letter from solicitors representing the Department of Health in the high court case. Writing to the lawyers bringing the challenge, they do not mention Hunt’s repeated threat that the contracts would be “imposed”, and claim that the lawsuit is “simply misconceived”.