Health secretary Matt Hancock has been slammed for telling a fellow MP to watch her ‘tone’ during an exchange in the House of Commons.

Shadow mental health minister Rosena Allin-Khan - who is also an A&E doctor - had been quizzing the Secretary of State over the Government's handling of the coronavirus crisis, when he snapped back, saying she might ‘do well to take a leaf out of the Shadow Secretary of State’s [Jonathan Ashworth] book in terms of tone’.

Dr Allin-Khan said: "Frontline workers like me have had to watch families break into pieces as we deliver the very worst of news to them, that the ones they love most in this world have died.

"The testing strategy has been non-existent. Community testing was scrapped, mass testing was slow to roll out and testing figures are now being manipulated.

“Does the Secretary of State commit to a minimum of 100,000 tests each day going forward? And does the Secretary of State acknowledge that many frontline workers feel that the Government’s lack of testing has cost lives and is responsible for many families being unnecessarily torn apart in grief?"

The health secretary replied: ‘I’m afraid what she said is not true. There’s been a rapid acceleration in testing over the last few months including getting to 100,000 tests a day."

Following their altercation, Dr Khan later took to Twitter to voice her displeasure at being told to watch her ‘tone’, adding: "I will respectfully challenge the Government - I want our country to succeed. 

“However, I will not 'watch my tone' when dozens of NHS and care staff are dying unnecessarily.”

Labour MP Harriet Harman supported Dr Khan by tweeting: “Something creepy about a man telling a woman to watch her tone!  Worse that he recommends she adopts the tone of another man. I suggest @MattHancock changes his.”

Fellow Labour shadow minister Jess Phillips tweeted: “Her tone was fine, respectful, and might I dare say her view is more knowledgeable about the front line than the health secretary. Can’t imagine why he doesn’t like her “tone”. (obviously I can well imagine)”.

Campaigner Brendan Cox, widower of former MP Jo Cox, said: ‘Yikes. Telling someone to watch their tone while completely misjudging theirs…’

While celebrity chef Nigella Lawson added: “There was absolutely nothing wrong with your tone.”