AN Oldham MP has slammed the government for prioritising "propaganda" over public health when it came to keeping the UK’s borders Covid secure, as cases of the Delta variant soar.

Oldham West and Royton MP Jim McMahon, who is the Shadow transport secretary, said the government have been “found wanting” during his closing speech for Tuesday’s opposition day debate on Covid Secure Borders.

He said: “The government have been found wanting. Not for the first time—we have heard it before where the words do not match the reality.

"The situation in which we find ourselves was entirely avoidable, at the same time as Pakistan and Bangladesh were added to the red list India should have been added.”

He added that data would show India “absolutely should have been put on the red list at the same” but that “did not sit comfortably with the Prime Minister, who was planning his trade visit”.

On April 19, rising coronavirus cases in India forced Boris Johnson to cancel a planned trip to the country.

India was added to the red list four days later on April 23, despite neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh being placed on the red list on April 9.

The UK’s high rates of the Delta variant first identified in India, has since been blamed for the four-week delay on easing restrictions.

Mr McMahon added: “That one trade visit—that photocall and bit of publicity—was worth more than jobs in hospitality, in our wedding industry and in tourism and aviation.”

In response a Department for Transport spokesperson said:“Our first priority is protecting the public and saving lives and the traffic light system we have in place categorises countries and territories based on risk, using the latest data.

“We took precautionary action to ban travel from India on 23rd April, six days before this variant was put under investigation and two weeks before it was labelled as of concern.”