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Health Secretary Wes Streeting has been accused of trying to "appease striking doctors" rather than tackle the "workforce crisis" in the NHS. Emergency legislation will go before MPs this week so UK medical graduates can be given priority access to speciality training programmes. Last year 12,000 UK-trained doctors competed with 21,000 who studied overseas for just 9,500 posts.

Shadow Health Secretary Stuart Andrew supports the move but warned Mr Streeting had failed to provide the cash required to radically expand medical school places.

The NHS long-term workforce plan introduced under the last Government contained a pledge to "double the number of medical school training places" - and Labour's manifesto promised to "deliver" the plan to "train the staff we need to get patients seen on time".

Mr Andrew said: "The workforce crisis is real, and no one disputes the need to train more doctors... Yet there is still no timetable, no funding commitment, and no explanation of how such an expansion would be delivered in practice. Parliament is being asked to take the policy on trust. That is not a strategy."

He said the emergency legislation was "designed to appease striking doctors in the here and now, rather than a serious plan to secure the NHS workforce for the future".

Mr Stuart wants a "genuine increase" in UK-trained doctors and fears many new medical places will go to foreign students.

He said: "International medical students pay significantly higher fees and provide a strong short-term financial incentive for universities. Without firm limits, 'doubling places' risks becoming a quiet expansion of overseas recruitment rather than a genuine increase in UK-trained doctors."

The Conservatives will support the Government's request to pass the legislation in a single day because the "workforce crisis will not be solved by delay" but he warned that Mr Streeting should not see this as a "blank cheque in law-making".

He is concerned by the suggestion that the personal backgrounds of students could be used in allocating places, saying decisions should be based on merit.

"Within the eligible cohort, selection must be based on academic ability and aptitude for medicine," he said. "Anything else risks undermining confidence in the profession and in the care patients rely on."

He also wants to eliminate any doubt that the provisions in the Bill will be used for offers this year.

Warning that at present the measures will only come into force when the Health Secretary decides, he said: "This looks like a cynical attempt by the Secretary of State to take Parliament and resident doctors for fools, by unconstitutionally asking MPs to pass a Bill that he does not intend to enact if resident doctors don't play ball. This is fundamentally disrespectful; the Conservatives will force a vote to ensure the Bill can be used for offers made this year.

"Workforce shortages can only be solved by action, and that requires an actual plan, not playing games with Parliament."

The Department for Health and Social Care says the Government has not committed to doubling the number of medical school places but will publish its own workforce plan later this year.

A spokesperson said: "Since 2020, UK-trained doctors have faced growing competition from overseas-trained doctors for specialty training posts - applicants have risen from 12,000 in 2019 to nearly 40,000 this year. British taxpayers spend £4 billion training medics every year, so it makes little sense for many of them to then be left struggling to get speciality training places and fearing for their futures.

"That's why this Government will halve competition for jobs and address a decade of poor workforce planning and ensure a sustainable, homegrown workforce that is not overly reliant on international recruitment. We will retain the cap on numbers of international medical students so opportunities for UK citizens are protected as training numbers grow."