Jeremy Hunt has taken part in a Commons debate wearing a sling, hours after breaking his arm whilst jogging.

The Conservative chairman of the Health and Social Care Committee told MPs he had spent the morning at the Royal Surrey County Hospital after slipping in the icy conditions.

The former health secretary, who appeared virtually in the debate on the future of health and care wearing a blue sling, went on to thank the hospital’s staff for his treatment.

He told MPs: “Can I start my comments by thanking the brilliant staff at the Royal Surrey County Hospital for the wonderful care they gave me this morning, as it happens, when I unfortunately slipped over and broke my arm on a morning run and I have just come back from there.”

In an earlier post on his Facebook page, Mr Hunt uploaded a picture of himself in a hospital bed next to NHS worker Charlotte, who had put a plaster cast on his arm.

The caption read: “The perils of running on an icy road in February.

“Thanks to Charlotte and the brilliant Royal Surrey staff for looking after me so well! Happy Hunt children will now get busy drawing pictures…”