A doctor who led the Lewisham Hospital campaign hopes her court victory will be repeated at the ballot box - when she takes on Jeremy Hunt.

With the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign, Dr Louise Irvine has already seen off the Health Secretary twice in the courts as his plans to downgrade the area's A&E were roundly defeated.

Now she has announced her decision to stand for the National Health Action Party in his South West Surrey constituency at next year's general election.

Dr Irvine, a Lewisham GP for 25 years, said: "I've faced Jeremy Hunt in the courts - and beaten him twice. Now I’ll face him at the ballot box.  

"He needs to be held to account for what he's doing to our NHS and the way in which he has bulldozed democracy, changing the law to push through hospital closures when he was beaten in court, and the way in which his government has launched a massive, wasteful and damaging reorganisation of the NHS without any popular mandate."