Tom Watson dabs as Jeremy Corbyn challenges Theresa May over NHS at PMQs

Tom Watson brought the dab dance craze to the House of Commons for the first time on Wednesday (22 February), as Jeremy Corbyn pressed Theresa May over the state of the NHS in England and Wales.

The deputy Labour leader dropped his head while raising his arm after Corbyn urged May to put the health service first at prime minister's questions (PMQs).

"When hospitals are struggling to provide essential care, why is prime minister's government cutting the number of beds in our National Health Service?" the Labour leader asked.

The Conservative premier hit back by raising Labour's NHS record when the party was in power.

"Thanks to medical advances, the use of technology, the quality of care, what we see in hospitals stays is that actually the average length of time in hospital has virtually halved since the year 2000," May said.

"Let's actually look at Labour's record on this issue: in the last six years of the last Labour government, 25,000 hospital beds were cut.

The PM continued: "But we don't even need to go as far back as that. Let's just look at what Labour's policy before the last election because before the last election the Right Honourable Member for Leigh [Andy Burnham], a former Labour shadow health secretary, said the following: 'What I would cut is hospital beds'."

However, an undeterred and fired-up Corbyn continued his line of attack, accusing the prime minister of failing to answer his questions.

"The British Medical Association tells us that 15,000 beds have been cut in the last six years, the equivalent of 24 hospitals and as a result we have longer waiting times at A&E, record delayed charges and more people on waiting lists," the left-winger said.

"The prime minister claims the NHS is getting the money it needs, so why is it that one in six of A&E units in England are set for closure or downgrading?"

The exchange comes just a day before the Copeland and Stoke-on-Trent Central by-elections on 23 February. Labour have campaigned heavily on the NHS in Copeland, with May accusing the party of "scaremongering" over the future of the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven.