JEREMY HUNT was branded an “absolute disgrace” yesterday for dodging a debate over his dispute with junior doctors.

The Health Secretary was nowhere to be seen in the Commons when Labour called an urgent question over the unprecedented strike planned for next month.

Mr Hunt was instead cooking up plans to break the strike in his Westminster office, according to the junior health minister sent in his place.

Tory stand-in Alistair Burt said: “I think it is of primary importance for the Secretary of State to work on contingency plans this morning to make sure that we are all safe should there be a strike.”

But the Hunt no-show was slammed by NHS staff.

Katie Knight wrote on social media: “How dare Jeremy Hunt not even TURN UP for the urgent questions in the House of Commons! Total cowardice.”

And furious Labour MP Clive Effort blasted: “The Minister has just told us that the Secretary of State is across the road in his office and cannot be bothered to come here to account for an unprecedented strike by junior doctors in our National Health Service. That is an absolute disgrace!”

Shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander pointed out it was the second time in two months Mr Hunt has failed to answer an urgent question.

She asked the Speaker: “Can you give me some advice on how we get the Secretary of State out of his bunker in Richmond House to actually answer legitimate questions from honourable members?”

A whopping 98 per cent of British Medical Association (BMA) members voted this week to walk out on three separate days next month.

Yet Mr Hunt still refused to enter talks with the BMA at conciliation service Acas.

Ms Alexander said: “The truth is if we’d had a little less posturing and a little more conversation from the Health Secretary, this whole sorry episode could have been avoided.”

Mr Burt was though more interested in a war of words than getting round the table.

He claimed up to 60,000 operations are at risk of cancellation or delay for every day that the doctors are on strike.