HEALTH Secretary Jeremy Hunt has been accused of "peddling some vicious lies" at a protest in London over the Government's plans to impose a new contract for doctors.

Thousands of doctors joined a march - the second of its kind in the capital - as the row continues between Mr Hunt and representatives of the British Medical Association (BMA).

Up on 20,000 people were said to be taking part in the protest where demonstrators chanted "Hunt must go" and "Not safe, not fair, Jeremy doesn't care".

Under the current plans, the contract will reclassify doctors' normal working week to include Saturdays and late evening working.

Critics have argued the deal could mean pay cuts of up to 30 per cent, with "normal hours" reclassified as being from 7am to 10pm, Monday to Saturday.

Doctor Sheneen Meghji, 32, a junior doctor from London who works at Southend Hospital, said the new contract plans are "really rather terrible" and are "dire" for the NHS.

She said: "Jeremy Hunt is peddling some vicious lies to the media, to patients and to the public in general."

Mr Hunt accused the British Medical Association ''misrepresenting'' the proposed changes, insisting the new contract is a ''good deal'' for doctors.

''I think it is incredibly disappointing, the way that the BMA has misrepresented the Government's position,'' he told the BBC.

''It's caused a huge amount of anger unnecessarily. We don't want to cut the pay going to junior doctors, we do want to change the pay structures that force hospitals to roster three times less medical cover at weekends as they do in weeks and that means that there's a 15% greater chance of you dying if you are admitted on a Sunday, compared to being admitted on a Wednesday.''

He added: ''This is a good deal for doctors. We are reducing the maximum hours a doctor can be asked to work from 91 to 72 hours, we're stopping doctors being asked to work for five nights in a row.''

Mr Hunt said if he was a junior doctor and believed the Government was pushing through the changes claimed by the BMA he would also be protesting on the streets.

But he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: ''I have made absolutely clear we do not want to reduce the pay going to junior doctors at all.

''What we need to do is change the balance of pay between weekdays and weekends so we don't force hospitals to roster three times less medical cover at weekends.''

Mr Hunt said reductions in pay for working antisocial hours would be offset with an increase in basic pay.

Asked if the NHS would save any money overall, he replied: ''Not a penny. And we have made this very clear to the BMA, which is why it is so disappointing.''