Independent East Devon General Election candidate Claire Wright has accused retiring Conservative MP Sir Hugo Swire of electioneering after he he made a statement this morning confirming that Ottery St Mary Hospital will not be closed.

This morning the Conservative MP announced he had 'received formal confirmation from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care that Ottery St Mary Hospital will not close'.

In his statement he also made a reference to Independent parliamentary candidate Claire Wright, he said: "I hope that Claire Wright will not seek to stir up more anxiety about its future. For too long, the future of the hospital has been the subject of false rumours."

Claire Wright has now responded to the news and to Sir Hugo's comments, she said: "This sounds like electioneering and we should wait and see what happens rather than taking a retiring Tory MP at face value.

"Since abandoning their damaging and failed austerity policy, the Conservatives have been promising bags of cash for all our struggling public services.

"Boris Johnson recently declared that 40 new hospitals would be built, but almost all the money is earmarked for six NHS trusts.

"The reality is that I have been trying for years to establish that NHS Property Services – a company set up by his government which is outrageously charging massive rents to local NHS hospitals that previously belonged to the NHS – is going to retain the building, after the beds were sadly closed a few years ago.

"It's not just Ottery Hospital that's at risk but all those owned by NHS Property Services locally. Local NHS managers have always been tight-lipped about their futures.

"I would be delighted if Ottery Hospital is indeed safe in the future but fighting to keep services in our communities is not "spreading anxiety" it is vital grass roots campaigning. But with a general election on 12 December it is hardly within Mr Hancock's gift to determine its fate.

Claire added: "As a member of Ottery Town Council's committee, which will meet soon to work on how we retain the hospital, I don't see a case for abandoning this work."

If you would like to see Sir Hugo's statement in full please click the red button below.