Cameron defends hospital cuts row

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The Conservative leader, who pledged a "bare-knuckle fight" with Gordon Brown over the NHS, claims at least 29 district generals face "losing" A&E or maternity units.

Controversy over the accuracy of the list threatened to derail Mr Cameron's attempt to wrest the political initiative from Gordon Brown on a classic "middle ground" issue.

He is currently standing by his "at risk" list, insisting that even more could be added, as he met patients and staff in the West Midlands and Yorkshire.

But the party was forced to admit a mix-up over one hospital while Tory MP Henry Bellingham went as far as issuing a public apology over another "mistake".

One angry NHS trust chief executive accused the Opposition of "destabilising" patients and staff with a false claim of cut threats at his hospital.

Glen Burley said a review had concluded as long ago as January that Warwick Hospital's A&E department would be retained and its maternity services extended.

"It is unfortunate that these sorts of stories can be destabilising for staff and patients," he said.

Earlier, shadow justice minister and North West Norfolk MP Mr Bellingham rejected the inclusion of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn. Obviously a mistake has been made and as a local MP I wasn't consulted on this and I apologise unreservedly to the staff at the hospital," he said.

He later said he apologised because staff at the Queen Elizabeth had felt "singled out" by being on the list when there were three other maternity units at hospitals in his constituency which were also considered under threat.