Boris Johnson has been urged to scrap the mandatory Covid vaccine rule for NHS workers, with one North East MP warning it could see tens of thousands of staff being forced out of the health service.
More than 70,000 NHS staff could remain unvaccinated by April 1, according to a leaked Department for Health report.
South Shields MP Emma Lewell-Buck warned the "reckless" rule could see an exodus of much-needed medics, as the health system is already working through unprecedented staffing pressures.
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Speaking in the Commons, she said: "The Department of Health and Social Care, the Royal College of Nursing and others have rightly raised concerns about the rationality, proportionality and recklessness of mandatory vaccination for NHS staff.
"With approximately 100,000 vacancies already, does the Prime Minister think that, come April, sacking more than 70,000 NHS staff will increase or decrease the pressures on our NHS?"
Mr Johnson responded: "The NHS fully supports the policy because of patient safety considerations.
"I think it is the duty of healthcare professionals to get vaccinated".
It comes as Mr Johnson announced that mandatory face masks will no longer be required across England from next week.
Mr Johnson told MPs in the Commons he was axing Plan B measures, which also include the use of mandatory Covid passes for nightclubs and large events, owing to a decline in infections and a belief among scientists that the peak of the Omicron wave of Covid-19 has passed.
As a result of the move, people are no longer required to work from home where possible, while face masks will no longer be needed in places such as shops and on public transport from next Thursday.
The legal requirement for people with coronavirus to self-isolate will be allowed to lapse when the regulations expire on March 24, and that date could be brought forward.
Mr Johnson signalled his intention to start treating Covid-19 more like flu, telling MPs: “There will soon come a time when we can remove the legal requirement to self-isolate altogether, just as we don’t place legal obligations on people to isolate if they have flu.
“As Covid becomes endemic, we will need to replace legal requirements with advice and guidance, urging people with the virus to be careful and considerate of others.”
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