HEALTH Secretary Jeremy Hunt has been accused of orchestrating a “news blackout” over A&E waiting times after he announced that publication of the latest data would be delayed until 2015.

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham insisted it was “simply unacceptable” for the data, due today, to be held back for three weeks over the “crucial” Christmas period.

Asking an urgent question in the Commons, Mr Burnham told Mr Hunt: “Given we know the figures are still being collected, there is absolutely no reason why it should not be published.

“You put a premium on transparency — rightly. So will you today order an end to this news blackout and instruct NHS England to maintain weekly A&E reports.”

But Mr Hunt said the data was never published during the period.

The latest figures, published last Friday, showed A&E waiting times had hit record levels.