LABOUR MP Ian Lavery slammed today the “utter disgrace” of hundreds of student nurses having their contracts cut short after being drafted to help during the pandemic.

The Wansbeck MP and former Labour chairman has demanded answers from Health Secretary Matt Hancock and PM Boris Johnson after a student nurse revealed that she was among thousands of trainee nurses who had had their contracts cut short.

Third-year student Hannah Wright was one of nearly 15,000 trainee nurses and midwives and medical students in England who were asked to join the “nationwide coronavirus fightback” on six-month contracts.

But the contracts, that were to last until September, are set to end in July.

Ms Wright wrote on Facebook: “Thousands of us, terrified but dedicated, signed up to a six-month long work contract, taking us to full qualification. Many of us on Covid wards. Six months sooner than we had ever anticipated, and we were all terrified. But we did it.”

She said Health Education England had informed them a few days ago that it “can no longer afford to honour this agreement,” and that many of them will be pulled out of full-time paid work early.

Ms Wright said: “The alternative to this is to negotiate ourselves (with no support from university) to ask trusts to keep us on so we can reach our required practice hours and qualify as originally planned.

“Most trusts are not in a financial position to fund student placements themselves, therefore leaving them responsible for turning us away, when really the government should be taking fault.

“We are in this alone … fighting our way through. Please do not just clap for your NHS. Please in future consider voting to fund it properly.”

Mr Lavery slammed the government’s decision as a “complete and utter disgrace.”

He told the Star: “Student nurses stepped forward in the country’s hour of need to help the frontline of the NHS withstand the devastating impact of coronavirus on our health service.

“For the government to callously turn on this group of dedicated individuals who have risked their safety and the safety of their families shows just how much contempt the Tories truly have for our NHS.”

The Royal College of Nursing has urged Health Education England and NHS England to offer “some clarity for students.”