Nigel Farage has mocked Wes Streeting with a blunt remark after his cheeky plea in the House of Commons.

Reform MP for Boston and Skegness, Richard Tice was in the Commons to ask Secretary of State for Health Wes Streeting about NHS management.

He said: “The whole house agrees, the NHS needs reform. The reality is when you speak to people in the NHS – the levels of waste, bureaucracy and mismanagement are legendary. This report specifically refers to the huge quantities of regulators, accountants, bureaucrats top down.

“So I would ask the secretary of state, is there recognition in the NHS senior leadership that reform to the management is a critical part of improving healthcare in the UK?”

Wes Streeting replied: “When you’ve got a huge volume of regulation, I’m always cynical because you reassure yourselves as legislators and regulators that because you’ve put regulation in place, you’ve dealt with the problem.

“But the problem is you then put another regulation in place because you’ve failed to deliver. Then you put another regulation in place and before you know it you’ve drowned the people responsible for delivery in so much regulation that they can’t sort the wheat from the chaff, see the wood from the trees, and you compromise standards and patient safety.

“That’s why I really welcome the work that Penny Dash has already done in relation to the CQC and the work we will continue to do with her to reduce the burden of regulation, to focus on the things that really matter to free NHS staff from red tape.

“Can I just make a plea that Mr Tice doesn’t send his party leader to agree with me as well or I really am in trouble.”

Tice shared a video of the exchange on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption: “The Health Secretary agrees with me. The NHS needs Reform. It is not money but better management, less bureaucracy and less waste that is needed.”

Reform leader and MP for Clacton Nigel Farage reposted this Tweet and gave a four-work response to Streeting: “I agree with you!”