LABOUR warned today of the huge threat to patient care posed by multinational Virgin, which has hoovered up almost £2 billion worth of NHS contracts over the past half decade.

Analysis by the Guardian shows that Richard Branson’s group is now one of the leading healthcare providers in Britain.

As well as holding a contract portfolio that includes about 400 lucrative deals, from running prisons to giving immunity jabs to schoolkids, Virgin has upped its stake in the NHS rapidly in the past few years.

In 2016-17, Virgin Care — the Virgin subsidiary that specifically seeks contracts for health work — won deals worth about £1bn to supply health services in England, making it the biggest winner by far among firms bidding for NHS work during this period.

It means that a third of the turnover for Virgin’s companies come from government contracts.

Unison head of health Sara Gorton warned that the company is acting aggressively to “get a foothold in healthcare.”

“It’s even been prepared to go to court to win contracts, moves that have cost the NHS dearly.

“While the NHS remains dangerously short of funds, taxpayers’ money shouldn’t be wasted on these dangerous experiments in privatisation.”

Labour shadow health minister Justin Madders said that, “after the biggest funding squeeze in NHS history, it is essential that every penny is going to frontline services and to improving patient care rather than padding out private profits.”

He reaffirmed that Labour is committed to fully renationalising the NHS.