WELSH Secretary Stephen Crabb has been urged to condemn the "war on Wales", amid claims that Jeremy Hunt hired the Daily Mail to smear the NHS.

The bitter row over Labour-run health services in Wales surfaced again in the Commons, as shadow Welsh secretary Owen Smith attacked Prime Minister David Cameron for "constitutional vandalism" by describing Offa's Dyke as a line between life and death.

The Daily Mail is running a series of articles this week on the NHS in Wales, which provoked a furious response from Mr Smith against Health Secretary Mr Hunt.

Speaking in Wales questions, Mr Smith initially asked Mr Crabb to clarify if he stood by comments in 2007 that devolution was constitutional vandalism.

Mr Crabb replied that the position of Welsh Secretary had been reduced to a part-time job in that period, adding the Government was rectifying wrongs from a previously unbalanced and unstable devolution settlement.

Mr Smith then told the Conservative front-bencher: "We agree with you that devolution is not constitutional vandalism, but I'll tell you what is - a Prime Minister for Britain describing Offa's Dyke as a line between life and death and a Tory health secretary hiring the Daily Mail to scuttle around traducing Welsh public services.

"That is constitutional vandalism, and your record as secretary of state won't be judged by the soft soap and the warm words about devolution but what he does to condemn the war on Wales."

Mr Crabb replied: "There isn't a single member of Parliament from a Welsh constituency who can't stand up with honesty and their hand on their heart and say when they get out on the doorsteps and speak to people on a Saturday morning, people don't tell them that the quality of their health services is the number one issue facing the people of Wales.

"It's quite wrong of the Welsh Labour Party to seek to shut down debate and shut down scrutiny about the performance of their administration in Cardiff when it comes to the most important issue for the people of Wales."

Following criticisms of the NHS in Wales by David Davies, MP for Monmouth, Mr Crabb added: "I don't want anyone holding up any part of Welsh economic and social life as a bad comparator, I want Wales to be leading.

"I want people to be holding up Wales as a good example to follow and actually the truth is, and I think (Mr Smith) in private would admit it, that (Mr Smith's) health minister in Cardiff needs to get a grip and needs to get on top of the issue, and really deliver for the people of Wales."