An impassioned speech about austerity by comedian Francesca Martinez has gone viral and been called the “best ever moment” on Question Time.

Martinez, who was a panelist on the BBC’s flagship political debate show, said the Conservative government had “blood on its hands”, citing research which showed over 130,000 people had died from austerity.

The comedian, who has cerebral palsy, said it was “absolutely outrageous”.

“That’s 130,000 mums, dads, daughters, sons, uncles and aunts who have died because the Tories and the Lib Dems decided to make ordinary people pay for a crash that was caused by bankers, who we bailed out.”

She also drew attention to the plight of people with disabilities in the UK, who she argues have been stigmatised by the government’s work assessment system. 

Martinez said: “As a ‘wobbly woman’, I really have to highlight the tens of thousands of disabled and sick people who have died after being found fit for work.

“We are one of the richest countries in the world and this is absolutely outrageous. Even the UN has called Tory welfare reform a violation of disabled people’s rights.”

She continued: “Anyone can become disabled or sick at any time and right now this government is taking away the safety net that we have fought for collectively over decades to help those in need.

A clip of the speech was shared widely on social media with one Twitter using posting a tweet which read: “What a hero. Martinez said it like it is. Round of applause.”

Another wrote: “Best ever moment on QT…at least for a very long time.”