A Conservative MP says it is "unfortunate" NHS staff are not set for a bigger pay rise.

But South West Hertfordshire's Gagan Mohindra fell short of calling for a rethink when he was asked about the government's proposed 1 per cent pay rise for NHS staff.

There have been calls from opposition members in Parliament to increase that 1 per cent figure, with the chief executive of NHS England revealing plans set out previously had budgeted for NHS pay to increase by 2.1 per cent this year.

Mr Mohindra's party colleague, Robert Halfon, MP for Harlow in Essex, has spoken out saying he will fight the government for a greater pay rise following the NHS' 'heroic efforts' over the course of the coronavirus pandemic.

When Mr Mohindra was asked for his thoughts on possible strike action by nurses and the backlash to the government's proposal, he said: "I would like to thank all the frontline staff that have worked incredibly hard during this global pandemic.

"In normal times, I would hope that the draft NHS pay settlement would be higher. Due to the significant damage to public finances in the last 12 months, this has unfortunately not been possible.

"The decision of NHS pay, including for nurses, will be determined by the independent review body. It is worth highlighting that progression up the pay bands will continue to run in parallel to any pay increase."

St Albans Liberal Democrat MP has accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of "seriously misjudging the mood of the country".

She said: "The Government is throwing a staggering £37 billion on a Test & Trace system that has made barely any difference but says it 'can't afford' anything more than a pitiful 1 per cent pay rise for NHS workers.

"The Prime Minister has said that he owes his life to them, he stood on the steps of No 10 and applauded them. Now the Prime Minister must do more than pay lip service and pay NHS workers the wage they deserve.

"After I challenged him to offer a meaningful pay rise to NHS workers, the Prime Minister once again defended the indefensible. As with the scandal over free school meals, he has seriously misjudged the mood of the country.

"NHS workers are exhausted, they have repeatedly gone above and beyond to care for people when they were seriously ill and scared - they deserve more than clapping, they need a proper pay rise."

During Prime Minister’s Questions today, Mr Johnson backed the programme, telling MPs: "It’s thanks to NHS Test and Trace that we’re able to send kids back to school and begin cautiously and irreversibly to reopen our economy and restart our lives."

When asked about the proposed pay rise on a visit to a coronavirus vaccination centre in Brent earlier this week, Mr Johnson said: "What we have done is try to give them as much as we can at the present time.

"Don't forget that there has been a public sector pay freeze, we're in pretty tough times."

Watford MP Dean Russell and Hertsmere MP and Cabinet Minister Oliver Dowden were approached for their thoughts on the proposed pay rise for NHS workers.