Sajid Javid has denied that a plan to clear the huge NHS backlog in England has been delayed because of wrangling with the Treasury over funding, as health bodies warned any further wait could exacerbate the scale of waiting lists for treatment.
The health secretary, who had been scheduled to announce the plan on Monday, insisted it had simply been held up by chaos caused by the Omicron variant of Covid, and that it would come imminently.
