Sir Keir Starmer spoke to Sophie Ridge on Sky News (Picture: Sky News)

The NHS is on its face, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has warned.

Sir Keir blamed 13 years of neglect, as well as extra pressure from Covid, as he told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge that 7.2million people were on waiting lists.

‘We’ve got to acknowledge that the health service is not just on its knees, it’s on its face,’ he said.

‘Speak to anyone who works in the NHS and they’ll tell you just how stressed it is. My wife works in the NHS so I know this first-hand.’

He added: ‘It’s the worst crisis we’ve ever had.’

Sir Keir also defended the use of the private sector to drive down waiting lists, despite his leadership pledge to end outsourcing.

‘We’re not talking about privatising the NHS,’ he said. ‘The NHS has always used elements from the private sector; GPs are an example of that.’

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The opposition leader has declared that the NHS is ‘on its face.’