Sir Edward Leigh called upon the Chancellor of the Exchequer to have an open mind on bringing back tax relief for pensioners who use private medical insurance.

"When the world economy is facing unparalleled challenges," the Gainsborough Conservative MP questioned whether anyone "seriously believes that after a decade of unfunded spending promises tax would be any lower under a Labour government".

Sir Edward pointed out to the Chancellor that more and more pensioners "are having to wait a long time for so-called 'minor operations'", some waiting as long as two years, with middle-income people dipping into savings or going into debt to obtain operations more quickly from the private sector.