Vince Cable has hit back at claims he was a hypocrite to support an NHS “privatisation” bill after campaigning to save Kingston Hospital.

Union Unite, which represents health service workers, said the Health and Social Care Bill would “snuff out” MPs’ bids to try and stop hospital closures.

Dr Cable and Edward Davey, MP for Kingston and Surbiton, handed in a petition with 15,000 signatures to Downing Street in March last year calling for the Government to abandon plans to shut Kingston Hospital’s maternity and accident and emergency units.

Gail Cartmail, assistant general secretary for public services for Unite, said: “The Government has made it clear that this legislation is expressly designed to prevent MPs from having any say on service closures, which will now be left for the market to decide.

“How can any MP sign up to something that deliberately stops them from campaigning on behalf of their constituents?”

However, Dr Cable said MPs would still be able to campaign against health service cuts under the new legislation.

The Business Secretary said: "The bill is a crucial part of the Government's vision to modernise the NHS so that it is led by health professionals, who are best placed to run our health service, and not politicians.

“Giving greater control to health care professionals does not prohibit MPs from campaigning on issues that affect hospitals in their area, and I certainly intend to continue to campaign to improve our local NHS services."

The Twickenham MP said in March last year it was “vital” for residents to oppose “a scaling back of popular, well used, facilities at Kingston”.

Unite said more than a third of Liberal Democrat ministers were elected last May after campaigning to keep their hospitals open.

The union claimed the bill, which had its second reading in the House of Commons last week, would “stifle” the voice of concerned MPs.