MP DAVID Davies has hit out at "political scaremongering" after he was criticised for questioning whether the NHS should fund life-extending drugs.

The Monmouth MP was criticised on social media after calling for a debate on the issue.

He told talkRADIO:  "There are drugs out there that will keep people alive for a few months longer, maybe being delivered at the end of what might have been a long and productive life at enormous expense and I think we need an honest debate about the cost of some of these drugs as I would like to see people getting access to these but I am not sure how justifiable it is when somebody is in their 80s at the end of a long and happy life to try and keep them alive for an extra couple of months at a cost which could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds."

Speaking afterwards, Mr Davies called the response to his comments "political scaremongering."

He said: "Governments across the UK already routinely restrict certain life extending drugs because of costs.

"If more money goes into the NHS we need an open and grown up debate about how it is spent and under what circumstances.

"Sadly, the response to my comment was deliberate political scaremongering suggests that no such debate will be possible."